September 29, 2021
This week marks the start of vaccine mandate deadlines in many states, which is likely to have implications for travel nurses in the coming weeks.
For instance, Novant Health in North Carolina announced it has terminated more than 100 healthcare workers who refused to be vaccinated by the deadline. New York could lose as many as 83,000 hospital workers after Monday’s midnight deadline to get the vaccine, although the exact numbers and impact are still being determined.
Here’s what travel nurses should know about COVID this week, including what high-paying COVID-19 travel nurse jobs are available right now.
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
According to the CDC’s weekly data, COVID cases have decreased again this week.
Here are some quick data points about the numbers:
Unfortunately, though overall case numbers are currently declining, the death rate is rising. It’s up just under 1% from last week. On average, there are 1,557 weekly deaths from COVID right now.
Just like last week, overall hospitalizations decreased. They’ve gone down about 14.4% from the previously tracked week.
However, hospitalizations tend to lag behind an increase in cases, as it takes time for people to develop symptoms and complications that could land them in the hospital. That doesn’t mean that this increase in cases will definitely result in more hospitalizations, but past trends suggest it could happen.
The New York Times COVID map and tracker continues to give a helpful snapshot of what’s happening with COVID around the country. According to their data:
If you’re looking to travel to a hard-hit area or just wondering what kind of rates for travel nursing jobs are available right now, below is a sampling of some of the current travel nursing positions available:
Speak with a recruiter about available assignments in COVID-impacted areas today.
According to the CDC, the majority of Americans (a total of 1.83 million people in the U.S.) have been fully vaccinated.
There are now:
Pfizer submitted data to the FDA this week showing “favorable” safety outcomes and antibody response for their vaccines in children aged 5-11. No word yet on when the vaccine will be officially approved or granted EUA from the FDA.
The other big news of the week is that the CDC agreed with the FDA panel’s recommendations that the general public should not receive booster shots. Instead, booster shots are only recommended for:
Some hospitals, healthcare facilities, and local health departments have started offering booster doses to people who fall under those guidelines. Some hospitals are even requiring staff to get boosters.
If you’re interested in receiving a booster dose, be sure to talk to your doctor to determine if you qualify and where to receive one.
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.