Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
9 Air Force Members Got Religious Exemptions For Covid Shots So Far
The Hill: Air Force Gives 9 Religious Exemption For Vaccine Mandate
The Air Force on Tuesday said it has granted nine service members religious exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, making it the second military service to say it has approved such accommodations. Eight of the exemptions were granted after being requested, the Air Force said in its weekly COVID-19 update. One exemption was granted on appeal, meaning that it was originally turned down. (Williams, 2/8)
Hawaii may soon lift travel restrictions —
The Washington Post: Hawaii In Talks To Drop Covid Travel Restrictions By Spring
Hawaii’s strict travel program for domestic visitors may be a piece of pandemic history by the spring, the state’s lieutenant governor said Tuesday. Lt. Gov. Josh Green (D) said in a phone interview that discussions are ongoing about eliminating all restrictions on travel in the coming months — barring any more covid surges. (Sampson, 2/8)
AP: Hawaii Will Not Require Booster Shots For Travel To Islands
Hawaii Gov. David Ige said Tuesday he will not mandate booster shots for travelers coming to the islands, an idea he said last week he was still considering. “In making this decision, we considered declining COVID-19 case counts in Hawaii, the continental U.S. and Europe,“ Ige said in a statement. ”Hospitalizations have also dropped.” (2/8)
In other news about vaccine mandates —
Las Vegas Review-Journal: 76% Of Nevada College Students Got Vaccinated Before Mandate Expired
Three-fourths of students in Nevada’s public colleges and universities were vaccinated against COVID-19 before an emergency mandate requiring inoculation expired in December. In a Feb. 1 memo to the state Department of Health and Human Services, which the Las Vegas Review-Journal obtained through a public records request, the Nevada System of Higher Education provided a breakdown of student vaccination rates by campus. About 76 percent of NSHE students systemwide — 69,342 of 90,952 — were vaccinated before Dec. 21. (Wootton-Greener, 2/8)
The Boston Globe: Wu: Boston Will Wind Down Proof-Of-Vaccine Rules As COVID Numbers Improve
If COVID-19 hospitalizations and case numbers continue to dip, Boston could soon end the rule that requires customers at eat-in restaurants and some other businesses to show proof of vaccination, Mayor Michelle Wu said Tuesday. A little more than three weeks since the controversial mandate went into place, Wu said the city is seeing case numbers rapidly improve. And she laid out three benchmarks the city will use to determine when it might lift the rules that currently cover restaurants, bars, gyms, clubs, and theaters. (Andersen and Kohli, 2/8)
AP: South Dakota GOP Senators Back Noem's Vaccine Exemption Bill
A proposal from South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to allow employees to gain exemptions from their employer’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates gained the support of Republicans on a Senate committee Tuesday, clearing a crucial legislative hurdle. All eight Republican senators on the Senate Commerce and Energy committee voted in favor of the bill after an aide of the Republican governor cast the proposal as a “reasonable solution” that sought a middle ground between doctors urging vaccines and groups opposed to mandates altogether. (Groves, 2/8)
Los Angeles Times: Motion Would Remove Sheriff's Vaccine Mandate Enforcement Powers
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday moved to take COVID-19 vaccine mandate enforcement responsibilities away from Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who has repeatedly said he would not fire deputies who refuse to get vaccinated. “Unfortunately, the Sheriff’s Department is the only department in the county that’s refused to implement this policy,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn, who supported the proposal to change civil service rules to give the enforcement authority to the county’s personnel director. “I think we were left with no other choice.” (Tchekmedyian, 2/8)
Also —
AP: Florida's Top Doctor Refuses To Say If He's Vaccinated
Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo on Tuesday declined to disclose whether he has received a coronavirus vaccine during a contentious confirmation hearing where Democrats pressed the state’s top doctor to promote the shots. Ladapo, appointed in September by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, has attracted national scrutiny over his close alignment with the governor in opposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other health policies embraced by the federal government. (Izaguirre, 2/9)
Miami Herald: Unvaccinated Oral Surgeon Sues After Medical Practice Banned
An unvaccinated oral surgeon has filed a lawsuit in Rhode Island after his medical practice, which saw over 800 patients each month, was shut down over him not getting a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the New Civil Liberties Alliance. (Marnin, 2/7)
KHN: Polio, Chickenpox, Measles, Now Covid. It’s Time To Consult History On School Vaccine Mandates
The rapid spread of omicron across the nation — and the finding that vaccines continue to provide strong protection against severe disease — brings covid-19 one step closer, perhaps, to truly earning its place on the list of diseases that have been tamed by vaccines. These include polio, measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox, all of which most kids must generally be vaccinated against before they enter school or day care. Some states have announced covid vaccine requirements for certain students. But not everyone agrees that vaccine mandates for children are the way forward. Sen. Rand Paul, who has opposed vaccine mandates, called omicron “nature’s vaccine.” Seventeen mostly Republican-led states have proactively banned, in some form, covid vaccine requirements for students. Resistance to adopt mandates has profound repercussions, especially as vaccination rates among kids ages 5 to 11 remain alarmingly low — under 15% in some states — even though children 5 and over have been eligible for shots since last fall. (Rosenthal, 2/9)
