This petition is to create awareness about the recent booster mandate for New York State Healthcare Workers. This position is not anti-vaccine. It is not anti-booster. Its intent is to advocate for our own choice to receive the booster vaccine.

In September 2021, NY healthcare workers were faced with a first ultimatum. Get vaccinated or be terminated. Now in 2022, we are being mandated to receive a booster vaccine by February 21st or face termination. Like everyone else in New York State, our livelihood depends on our income. We are again being put in a situation where we must choose a booster shot or lose our careers. This second mandate has come with the surge of the Omicron variant, which has swept New York State. A significant percentage of healthcare workers have had Covid just in the last one to two months, causing them to be out of work for a period of time. This booster mandate was initiated by the Governor in response to the number of breakthrough cases among healthcare workers and to help hospitals with staffing needs. Now as we enter February, most of us are recovered and back to our workplace. Here in NYS, specifically in Suffolk County, the total number of inpatients with Covid continues to decrease. It appears Covid hospital discharges are exceeding Covid hospital admissions, which is a positive trend.

Undoubtedly, our profession has had the highest rate of exposure and natural immunity. At this time, why does one's job have to be terminated if their immunity came from the actual virus versus a booster vaccine? Why are we forcing NYS healthcare workers to choose between their livelihood and a booster shot, after thousands just recovered from the virus? 

We are asking for a Choice. Please reconsider this mandate for healthcare workers, as we have been through so much these past two years.