Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order Wednesday stating that mandatory vaccines for health care workers and those working in high-risk population settings will not include the second recently approved COVID-19 booster. I made it clear.
Executive Order 294 was issued following the April 11 deadline for New Jersey health care workers to receive their first booster shots.
But in recent weeks, the Food and Drug Administration has approved a second booster for people over 50 and those with compromised immune systems. His second shot, covering both Pfizer/BioNTech and his two-dose mRNA vaccine for Moderna, raised questions about what constitutes a “complete vaccination.”
“If a covered worker received a primary series consisting of either a 2-dose series of COVID-19 vaccine mRNA or a single dose of COVID-19 “The first booster dose they are eligible for, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” said a news release from the governor’s office.
Nevertheless, Murphy encouraged those who qualified for the second booster to get it.
He said he should do so “to give myself extra protection against COVID-19, like I did yesterday.”
“The numbers here in New Jersey and across the country are clear. The boost is directly related to less severe COVID-19 symptoms and illnesses, and much lower hospitalization and mortality rates,” Murphy said. says Mr. “Our low-key immunization efforts have effectively reduced the risks we face in New Jersey. I have to keep going.”
The governor’s vaccination mandate required healthcare workers to receive a booster dose by April 11 or within three weeks of becoming eligible, whichever is later.
Corrections officers and others working in “high-risk intensive care settings” must be fully vaccinated by May 11 or within three weeks of qualifying for a booster .
It is up to hospitals and other employers to impose disciplinary action, including possible dismissal, on workers who do not comply. According to the Governor’s Executive Order No. 290, employers who do not meet their obligations may face penalties.
Employers may grant exemptions on medical or religious grounds.
Under President Joe Biden’s order, which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld in January, most hospital workers across the nation must be fully vaccinated with no testing option.
According to the New Jersey Hospital Association, 90% of New Jersey hospital workers have complied with previous mandates requiring primary vaccination for health care workers. The association said it did not have data on how many people received booster shots.
Covered healthcare facilities and high-risk collective facilities must maintain policies requiring workers to provide adequate evidence that they have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
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Contact information for Elizabeth Lorente is: [email protected]Follow her on Twitter. @Liz_Llorente.