Broome County Executive Jason Garnar says everyone employed by county government could be required to receive a Covid-19 vaccine soon.

Garnar said a review of the new guidance from the White House tied to President Biden's vaccination mandate executive order.

Speaking on WNBF Radio's Binghamton Now program, Garnar said it now appears county and local governments in New York state will fall under the rule.

The county executive said weekly testing might be required for those who don't want to get vaccinated.

Garnar said the employee vaccination directive would result in a "pretty big logistical operation" for the county. He said workers who fall under the rule would have to be fully vaccinated by January 4.

County officials are poring over the guidance document to determine specifically what may be required.

Garnar said the New York State Association of Counties has indicated that local governments likely will have to follow the rule.

The county executive noted a few employees at the Willow Point Nursing Home chose not to get vaccinated despite the state mandate for health care workers. He said he believed the county "lost about 10 employees total of the several hundred" who work at the facility.

In that case, there was no "test-out" provision. Employees were required to receive the vaccine or else lose their jobs.

Garnar said he expects to lose some more county employees if the federal mandate is imposed.

A big logistical challenge looms if the county is required to determine the vaccination status of its more than 1,600 employees.

99.1 The Whale logo
Enter your number to get our free mobile app

Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com.

For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.

Answers to 25 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

Vaccinations for COVID-19 began being administered in the U.S. on Dec. 14, 2020. The quick rollout came a little more than a year after the virus was first identified in November 2019. The impressive speed with which vaccines were developed has also left a lot of people with a lot of questions. The questions range from the practical—how will I get vaccinated?—to the scientific—how do these vaccines even work?

Keep reading to discover answers to 25 common COVID-19 vaccine questions.

READ ON: See the States Where People Live the Longest

Stacker used data from the 2020 County Health Rankings to rank every state's average life expectancy from lowest to highest. The 2020 County Health Rankings values were calculated using mortality counts from the 2016-2018 National Center for Health Statistics. The U.S. Census 2019 American Community Survey and America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2019 data were also used to provide demographics on the senior population of each state and the state's rank on senior health care, respectively.

Read on to learn the average life expectancy in each state.

More From 99.1 The Whale