NYPD: Less than half of officers have gotten COVID-19 vaccine
NEW YORK - According to the NYPD, only about 43% of its officers have currently been vaccinated against COVID-19.
The number is well below the 60% of staff at city-run health facilities that are fully vaccinated and below the 58% of all New Yorkers who have had a least one dose of the COVID vaccine.
"Since vaccines became available we have encouraged our employees, especially those who have contact with the public, to get vaccinated. We have made vaccinations available at multiple times and at multiple locations to ensure that as many of our employees as possible get the vaccination. The NYPD has produced and distributed two videos encouraging NYPD personnel to be vaccinated and two more videos are in production," said Sergeant Brendan Ryan in a statement.
"Upwards of 11,000 members of the NYPD have been infected with COVID-19 and statistically have a far lower likelihood of re-contracting the disease. That said, our newest internal messaging focuses on addressing rumors, misinformation and concerns with vaccination. While we have stopped short of compelling uniformed officers to be vaccinated by rule - which would likely face lengthy legal challenges - we have focused our efforts on strong education and encouragement," the statement went on to say.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio had announced that beginning August 2nd, the city would require all of its health and hospital staff to get vaccinated or get weekly COVID tests.
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According to the CDC's data, adults ages 18 to 49 years old make up more than 40% of COVID-19-related hospitalizations in the United States.
Currently, CDC data show nearly 80% of adults ages 65 and older have been fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus while 57.1% of people ages 12 and older have been fully vaccinated and 59.6% of adults 18 and older.
Despite the vaccine arsenal the United States has acquired, among the total population of the country, 50% of people are not yet fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.
Amid an onslaught of vaccine misinformation, the rising delta variant, and slowing vaccination rates, COVID-19 cases have tripled in the U.S. over two weeks and many of the sickened are young adults who are eligible for the shot.