Workforce

New York will require healthcare workers to receive COVID-19 booster shots as cases and hospitalizations continue to climb statewide, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Jan. 7. 

For nurses across the U.S., various words come to mind when describing the latest COVID-19 surge, from exhausting and mind-blowing to eerie and challenging. 

Hospitals lost jobs in December for the second straight month, according to the latest jobs report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Connecticut Hospital Association is requiring a COVID-19 booster dose as part of its statewide mandatory vaccination policy for hospital and health system workers and clinical staff, the association said Jan. 6. 

Just over 19 percent — or 1,167 of 6,051 — of all hospitals in the U.S. are experiencing critical staffing shortages, according to HHS data posted Jan. 6.

Nurse practitioners play an integral role in providing healthcare and work in various settings, including hospitals, physician offices and clinics.

The number of hospitals and health systems requiring COVID-19 booster shots for employees is growing as the pandemic continues in the U.S.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and its subsidiaries terminated 250 of its more than 10,000 employees after they refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by the company's Jan. 4 deadline, a spokesperson told Becker's. 

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Jan. 5 announced a $10 billion, multiyear investment in healthcare, which includes $4 billion for wages and bonuses for healthcare workers.

Humana is indefinitely postponing a return to in-person work for employees around the country as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise, a spokesperson told Becker's.