BUFFALO, N.Y. — Catholic Health says 90 percent of its staff, as of Sunday afternoon, is in compliance with the New York State vaccine mandate that goes into effect on Monday.
Kaleida Health said as of 6 p.m. Sunday, 94 percent of its overall workforce had been vaccinated, adding that the rate for Phase 1a workers (patient-facing staff) was 97 percent.
"The number of unvaccinated employees and providers continues to decrease every day, so we are hopeful that the impact on operations tomorrow and throughout the week will be minimal," Kaleida Health said in a statement.
Health care workers had until 9 p.m. Sunday to file a religious exemption or be vaccinated to work.
On Saturday, Gov. Kathy Hochul put the statewide vaccination rate for hospital staff at 84 percent and added that ways to counteract the loss may include declaring a state of emergency.
Catholic Health added that some elective surgeries are being postponed on Monday as it gathers a final count.
Catholic Health and the CWA Local 1133 union also remain in very tight negotiations. The union, which represents about 2,000 health care workers, continues to say it will strike on October 1 if a contract settlement is not reached.
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