The Latest: NY governor ready to use reservists in shortage

ALBANY, N.Y. -- New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says she is prepared to call in medically trained National Guard members and retirees to address potential staffing shortages caused by an approaching vaccine mandate for health care workers.

Hochul, a Democrat, released a plan Saturday to address what she called preventable staffing shortages in hospitals and other health care facilities once the mandate takes effect Monday.

Many health care workers have still not yet received a required first shot of a COVID-19 vaccine days before the deadline. That leaves the prospect of potentially thousands of health care workers being forced off the job next week.

___

MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

— Israel says US booster plan supports its own aggressive push

— South Africa’s vaccine train delivers doses and doctors to poor areas

— CDC: Studies show masks lessen school outbreaks

— EXPLAINER: Who’s eligible for Pfizer booster shots in US?

___

See all of AP's pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

___

HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

SWARTKOPS, South Africa — South Africa has sent a train carrying COVID-19 vaccines and doctors and nurses to administer them into one of the country's poorest provinces.

The vaccine train, named Transvaco, is on a three-month tour through Eastern Cape province and stop at seven stations for two weeks at a time to vaccinate people.

The initiative was launched by the state-owned rail company Transnet. It aims to meet head-on two of the biggest challenges in South Africa’s vaccine rollout: Getting doses out to areas beyond the big cities and convincing people in those areas who might be hesitant to...