NJ health care workers now required to be fully vaccinated, boosted against coronavirus

Gov. Phil Murphy (D-N.J.) announced yesterday that all health care workers in New Jersey are now required to be fully vaccinated and boosted against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), according to an article from NJ Advance Media.

Workers will no longer be allowed to undergo weekly testing in place of getting vaccinated, unless they have medical or religious exemptions, according to the article.

Murphy said these rules comply with President Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s vaccine mandate for health care workers, which disallows testing as a substitution for vaccination. Murphy said the mandate was recently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court last week.

“We are no longer going to look past those who continue to put their colleagues and perhaps, I think even more importantly, those who are their responsibility, in danger of (COVID-19). That has to stop,” he said. “Testing out will no longer be an option.”

The new requirements affect both part-time and full-time workers at hospitals and health centers as well as employees working in “high-risk congregate settings,” such as long-term care facilities and correctional facilities, according to the article.

Health care workers must receive their first dose of the vaccine by Jan. 27 and complete their initial vaccination series by Feb. 28. Workers in congregate settings must receive their first dose by Feb. 16 and complete their vaccination series by March 30.

Eligible health care and congregate setting workers must receive a booster vaccine by Feb. 28 and March 30, respectively, according to the article. Workers currently ineligible for the booster shot must receive it within three weeks of becoming eligible. 

Any workers who fail to follow these requirements could face disciplinary action, including termination from the workplace, Murphy said.

Opponents of the new requirements say they may unintentionally cause a shortage of workers, which could lower the quality of treatment that patients receive in hospitals and other facilities, according to the article.

“Rather than eliminate testing, our health care facilities must conduct more testing on a routine basis of staff, patients and visitors so we can quickly identify (COVID-19) positive individuals and prevent others from becoming infected,” said Debbie White, president of Health Professionals and Allied Employees. “While we appreciate the need to increase vaccination rates, this does not solve the problems that exist right now.”