![]() ![]() Last week the White House turned to the pop star Olivia Rodrigo to try to reach younger people, who have the lowest vaccination rates. “But our role we're playing from here is continuing to go community by community, person to person, making sure we are meeting people where they are to get the vaccine out.” ![]() “We know that some employers, hospitals, health systems, colleges, universities and local leaders have chosen to take this step, and we expect others to do so as well," Psaki said regarding vaccine requirements. The Biden administration's strategy has focused heavily on trying to make vaccinations more accessible, spreading information about the vaccines and warning about the risks of not getting the shots. Anthony Fauci, said July 11 he believes there should be more vaccine mandates at the local level. Slavitt said one compromise employers could offer those who are firmly against getting vaccinated would be to requiring them to get tested several times a week.īiden's administration has been supportive of private companies putting vaccine requirements in place and his chief medical adviser, Dr. Most colleges already had vaccine requirements in place for other diseases. A federal judge on Monday upheld Indiana University's vaccine requirement. Hundreds of colleges have required students to be fully vaccinated against Covid before returning to campus, but it’s unclear how those mandates will be enforced and there has already been pushback, including lawsuits. ![]() “It is not like it is easy, but this is a moment of leadership and sometimes when you are a leader, you have to do hard things.” “I do think it is a responsibility of employers and others that have the ability to mandate it at their sites,” Zeke Emanuel, a health adviser in the Obama administration, said of requiring vaccines for health care workers. Immigration applicants must also be vaccinated against a range of ailments. The federal government already requires members of the military to get certain vaccinations. White House press secretary Jen Psaki declined to say Friday whether the administration was considering making the vaccine a requirement for the military or the federal workforce. “There are a number of people in surveys, by the way, who say precisely these words, ‘I'm not going to take it, unless it's required.’” “I think every government agency ought to rethink what's appropriate,” Slavitt said. He said he believes some federal agencies should then begin requiring vaccinations for their employees, including members of the military, health care workers at Veterans Affairs hospitals and nursing homes, and other federal workers in close contact with the public, like airport security screeners. But Slavitt said he expects that to change with full FDA approval. “Shame on us if we sit here in July and don't do something to increase the vaccination rates and then we can't open schools or have a situation where, God forbid, the economy takes another hit because businesses have to shut back down,” said Kathleen Sebelius, who served as health and human services secretary under President Barack Obama.īiden's administration has so far resisted any vaccine requirements, opting instead to offer incentives. Health officials said they believe vaccine requirements could be that last push for people who haven't made getting vaccinated a priority or have been indifferent about needing it. Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock has said a decision should come well before then. Pfizer, maker of the first vaccine authorized for emergency use in the United States, said Friday it expects the FDA to grant full approval by January 2022 at the latest. One such lawsuit by health care workers at Houston Methodist was thrown out last month.īut with the new delta variant spreading and hospitals once again filling up, there is a renewed sense of urgency by public health officials to find ways to reach the nearly 1 in 3 eligible Americans who have yet to get their first dose. Institutions that have put vaccine requirements in place have already faced lawsuits, with opponents arguing that the statute creating the emergency use authorization indicates people should have the option to refuse a treatment. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |