Gov. Kathy Hochul is hosting a COVID-19 briefing Friday morning to update New Yorkers on the state’s ongoing pandemic response efforts.
In her briefing, she announced New York State will require healthcare workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine booster. There will be no test-out option.
“Getting boosted is a common sense move,” Gov. Hochul said. “We do not want people to keep having breakthroughs. Thank you to all healthcare workers who have been keeping this state safe.”
Healthcare workers must get the COVID-19 vaccine booster within 2 months of becoming eligible to do so.
Under the newest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, boosters are recommended 5 months after the original COVID-19 vaccine cycle is completed. Hochul said Friday that New York would adopt the guidance — a decrease from the previous 6-month recommendation.
Gov. Hochul reported 82,094 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New York State Friday. She also noted a slight peak in the curve of cases per 100,000 New Yorkers, saying she was “cautiously optimistic” about what that meant.