Weekend News Brief
Written by Tom Tharp on January 7, 2022
Governor Hochul announced Friday that a new mandate is going into place for healthcare workers across New York State. That mandate will make it so healthcare workers must get the COVID booster shot. She talked about how this is the first state wide booster mandate in the US. Hochul did not say when this would go into effect but that when it does all eligible healthcare workers must comply within 2 weeks. Hochul also announced new rules for visiting nursing homes. Starting Wednesday all visitors must show proof of a negative COVID test within 24 hours of their visit.
UMMC has new visitation policies going into effect on Tuesday the 11th due to the increase in Omicron Cases. No visitation will be allowed for Emergency Room patients, Cancer infusion patients, or patients on enhanced Isolation Precautions. Patients may designate 2 people to visit. A maximum of 4 hours of visitation daily. The exceptions to these rules are pediatric patients, labor and delivery patients and patients in end of life or with cognitive disabilities. They have also changed their masking policy, cloth masks are no longer allowed. Only surgical masks will be allowed. The hospital will provide one if you don’t have one.
GO Health is changing its COVID policies because of the number of cases exceeding the number that can be contact traced. Starting Monday they are ending contact tracing for those between 19 and 64. Those who take a COVID test and get a positive result should self isolate for 5 days and contact those they might have been around. If they are asymptomatic at the end of 5 days they can stop isolating. If they have symptoms isolate 5 days from the first day of symptoms.
The Buffalo Bills announced they will be without defensive end Efe Obada for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets due to an ankle injury. Obada played in ten of the Bills 16 games this season. The Bills also announced wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders is questionable with a knee injury.
