Even with a months-long easing within the coronavirus pandemic, vaccine mandates stay controversial in some quarters.
Rob Astorino, a Republican candidate for governor of New York, accused the lady he desires to oust, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, of firing some 34,000 well being care staff for not complying with vaccine mandates.
In a tweet posted Jan. 20, Astorino stated of Hochul that “none of your mandates have helped beat ‘this surge.’” Amongst different criticisms, Astorino’s tweet blamed Hochul for “firing 34K HC staff.”
A more in-depth look reveals that Astorino has exaggerated this determine.
Below Hochul’s predecessor as governor, Democrat Andrew Cuomo, New York State well being care staff have been positioned beneath a vaccine mandate. The mandate required well being care staff to be vaccinated by Sept. 27, 2021.
On Oct. 5. Hochul — who had been elevated to governor following Cuomo’s resignation — prolonged the mandate to use to staff in psychological well being and incapacity providers. Below the new mandate, well being care staff in these amenities had till Nov. 1 to get a minimum of one vaccination.
The Astorino marketing campaign stated its tweet was primarily based on New York State Well being Division knowledge exhibiting that 33,982 well being care staff have been inactive due to the vaccine mandate. “We consider Rob’s claims are utterly correct,” Phil Oliva, a spokesperson for the Astorio marketing campaign, informed us in an e-mail.
Nevertheless, the Astorino marketing campaign’s studying of the numbers was defective.
The New York State Well being Division informed PolitiFact New York that “roughly 3% of well being staff have been furloughed, terminated, or opted to resign or retire.” Data launched by Hochul’s workplace on Oct. 13 confirmed that the variety of well being care staff who had left their jobs was 33,982, however that the quantity who had particularly been fired was 10,555. That’s lower than one-third of the overall loss in well being care staff.
In public comments on Oct. 13, 2021, Hochul reiterated that the variety of misplaced jobs have been higher than simply those that have been fired. “It contains individuals who have been terminated, resignations, folks deciding to retire, and people who find themselves on furlough ready to see the result of litigation” in opposition to the mandate.
As well as, it was as much as employers, reasonably than the governor, to find out what occurred to staff who didn’t comply, stated Erin Silk, a spokesperson for the New York State Well being Division. “These plans may embody termination, however that was not required,” Silk stated.
Our ruling
Astorino stated Hochul’s report included “firing” 34,000 well being care staff.
About 34,000 well being care staff in New York state did depart their job after the vaccine mandate was enacted. Nevertheless, lower than a 3rd of these could possibly be described as being resulting from “firing.” About two-thirds of the misplaced jobs stemmed from resignations, retirements, or furloughs by staff ready to see how litigation in opposition to the mandate performed out.
We fee the assertion Half True.
