Tens of thousands of unvaccinated health care workers are at risk of losing their jobs by the end of the day Monday, for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Stephen Hanse, president and CEO of the New York State Health Facilities Association, said staffing shortages increased significantly during the pandemic and he worries about what will happen if they lose even another 10% of their workforce.

“If you lose 10%, that is 12,000 workers, so that's a real concern,” Hanse explained. “The staffing is a facility-by-facility issue as well. So let's say for example, you have a nursing home that has three or four nurses on the night shift and one or two are unable to work, because they do not want to be vaccinated. That's a 50% loss of staff and that's huge.”

The same concerns are echoed in Chautauqua County, where County Executive PJ Wendel said they are also are bracing for staffing shortages.

“We are very concerned,” Wendel explained. “Two, maybe three weeks ago, we first got wind of [staffing shortages] when one of our local nursing homes sent out letters to residents’ families, stating after Oct. 7, you would have to find a new place of residence for your family, because we're unable to staff it and take care of it.”

According to the most recent data from the state health department, around 11% of nursing home staff and 16% of hospital workers are still unvaccinated.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said that she will be declaring a state of emergency to allow for nurses from other states and countries to help fill staffing vacancies. The state will also deploy medical professionals from the National Guard if needed.

Hochul said she empathizes with vaccinated health care workers who now have to shoulder extra shifts or duties.

“It’s fundamentally unfair and we're going to have to bring in people to help at all levels, no doubt about it,” Hochul said. “Again, it doesn't have to be this way. It does not. And it's not a role I relish.”

But Wendel criticized this as a short-term solution.

“In New York City, in the five boroughs, how many hundreds of hospitals do they have?” Wendel questioned. “I've got three in my county. And one is already an overflow for at least one other county. What am I going to do when everything is filled? Where do I go?”

Hochul said over the weekend, health care workers who are fired for refusing the shot will not be eligible for unemployment insurance.

There is a temporary restraining order to the vaccine mandate for health care workers claiming a religious exemption until Oct. 12, when a judge will be revisiting the case.

Rhode Island, Maine, Oregon and the District of Columbia are also mandating their health care workers receive the COVID-19 vaccine, with no test out option. In California, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Illinois, unvaccinated health care workers do have the choice to be tested weekly.