55% of New York firefighters say they won’t take COVID vaccine, as city continues to see increase in cases

More than half of New York City firefighters have said they will not get the COVID-19 vaccine despite the second wave of cases in the city.

Almost 55% of 2,053 firefighters answered “no” when asked, “Will you get Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine when the ministry makes it available?” according to a recent union study.

The investigation was conducted by the Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA), a union representing 8,200 active firefighters in New York. UFA President Andy Ansbro said the survey represented 25% of their active members, according to the New York Post.

If the results of the investigation become reality – with New York State planning 170,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine pending emergency approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – thousands of first responders would remain vulnerable to the virus and would continue to be potential propagators, the Publish.

The results of the investigation came nearly two weeks after the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) announced it would not make the vaccine mandatory for its members, even though the city sees an increase cases of COVID-19.

On November 27, the FDNY told members in an internal order that the department would soon provide COVID-19 vaccines to its first responders.

“Vaccination will NOT be mandatory, but the ministry recommends that members consider overall benefits,” Fire Marshal Daniel Nigro and Service Chief John Sudnik wrote in the order obtained by Publish.

Others believe mandatory COVID-19 vaccination would be the best way to protect the public.

“It may become necessary to require that certain people or communities be vaccinated, such as healthcare workers and students, to protect public health,” said Mary Beth Morrissey, chair of the New Zealand COVID-19 task force. York State Bar Association. in a statement Nov. 7.

The city has seen a 5% positivity rate over the past week, according to a Dec. 5 tweet from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. It reported 2,179 new coronavirus cases and 158 hospitalizations on Saturday.

Overall, New York State has reported at least 700,900 coronavirus cases and 34,480 deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to data from The New York Times.

The state, once the epicenter of the virus, eased its cases during the summer. However, in recent weeks, the area has seen a second wave of infections. According to Times, the state reported an average of 8,815 new cases per day, an 80% increase from previous weeks.

The FDNY said infections among firefighters were also on the rise. He has reportedly seen positivity rates within the department tripled in recent weeks, according to the Publish.

UFA did not respond Newsweek’s request for comments in time for publication.