New York state may use National Guard members to replace healthcare workers who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine. In a statement on Saturday, Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said that options to deal with hospital staffing shortages include deploying medically trained members of the National Guard. The situation would allow her to declare an emergency to increase the supply of healthcare workers to include licensed healthcare workers from other states, other countries, and retired nurses. “We are still in a battle against COVID to protect our loved ones, and we need to fight with every tool at our disposal,” she said in a statement. “I am monitoring the staffing situation closely, and we have a plan to increase our health care workforce and help alleviate the burdens on our hospitals and other health care facilities.” According to her office, about 16 percent of the state’s 450,000 hospital staff members, …