Dr. Stephanie Silvera Comments on the Cost of Testing Unvaccinated Workers in New Jersey
Posted in: College News and Events, Master of Public Health News, Public Health
New Jersey has spent at least $9.5 million testing state workers for COVID-19 since Gov. Phil Murphy mandated weekly swabs for unvaccinated public employees returning to the office last fall, according to records obtained by Gothamist.
“At a certain point, you have to start to weigh out, what is the economic cost of allowing people to continue to be unvaccinated?” said Dr. Stephanie Silvera, a Profesor in the Public Health Department.
She added, “We live in a state that has high taxes and right now when people say, ‘Well, not being vaccinated is my choice.’ Right, but we are paying for that choice through our taxes.”
“It’s quite telling that people who are working in that banking and insurance sector recognize the value of being vaccinated in terms of the economy and how do we keep the economy up and running and flourishing,” Dr. Silvera said.