Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
90% Of Federal Workers Have Met Biden's Mandate To Get Vaccinated
Reuters: 90% Of U.S. Federal Employees Have Received At Least One COVID-19 Dose -White House
The White House confirmed on Monday that more than 90% of the 3.5 million federal employees covered by a presidential COVID-19 vaccine mandate had received at least one dose ahead of a Monday deadline. In total, the administration has deemed that 95% of federal workers have complied with its requirements in that they have either been vaccinated, are completing vaccinations or have a pending religious or medical exemption request, the White House said. Officials declined to disclose the total number of fully vaccinated federal employees, but said the "vast majority" of the 90% had received both doses. (Shepardson, 11/22)
The New York Times: About 90 Percent Of Federal Workers Will Meet President Biden’s Vaccination Deadline
Mr. Biden’s mandate for federal workers, announced in September, was part of an aggressive effort to combat the spread of the Delta variant, which has driven caseloads up to levels last recorded a year ago, before vaccines were widely available. The president also mandated vaccination for health care workers and ordered all companies with more than 100 workers to require vaccination or weekly testing for their employees. (Gay Stolberg, 11/22)
ABC News: White House: 90% Of Federal Workers, Military Have Gotten At Least 1 COVID Shot
Officials said the numbers -- which include civilian and military personnel -- show the government won't see disruptions this holiday season because of the mandate. ... While the overall number is generally good news for the White House, it’s still unclear how an estimated 350,000 federal workers still holding out on the vaccine shot might impact government operations. It's likely that vaccination uptake is higher in some agencies and parts of the country than others. For example, White House staff, located in Washington, DC, are estimated to be nearly 99% vaccinated. But vaccine hesitancy is expected to be higher among border patrol units or federal prisons located in other parts of the U.S. (Flaherty, 11/22)
In other state news on mandates —
AP: Vaccine Mandate Compliance High Among School, State Workers
New data released Monday shows most K-12 school employees and state employees who were mandated to get vaccinated or else tested for COVID-19 are complying with Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s executive order. A survey of public and private school workers released by the state’s Department of Education indicates more than 90% of K-12 school employees are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Out of 163 public school districts, charter schools in Bridgeport and New Haven run by Achievement First had the lowest staff vaccination rates, at 77% and 78% respectively. Meanwhile, 73 districts had a vaccination rate that exceeded 95%. (11/23)
The New York Times: A Long Island Emergency Room Goes Dark As A Vaccine Mandate Gets Stricter
A Long Island emergency room was forced to close its doors on Monday because of a nursing staff shortage, as a New York state rule took effect that bars unvaccinated medical workers from their jobs. The free-standing Emergency Department at Long Beach, which is part of Mount Sinai South Nassau, said in a statement that patients would be directed to the hospital’s main campus in Oceanside, N.Y., about five miles north. An ambulance will be stationed at the shuttered facility, the statement said. (Zraick, 11/22)
The New York Times: A Texas Court Affirms A Ruling Against The Governor’s Ban On Mask Mandates
The chief elected official in Dallas County celebrated a victory on Tuesday in his legal dispute over the governor’s ban on mask mandates, after a state appeals court upheld an earlier injunction against the ban. The ruling by Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas affirmed an August ruling by a district judge that Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order banning mask mandates impeded the ability of Judge Clay Jenkins, the top elected official in Dallas County, to protect his constituents from Covid. (DePasquale, 11/23)
Dallas Morning News: Appeals Court Affirms Abbott’s Mask Mandate Ban Violated Jenkins’ Ability To Manage Pandemic
A state appeals court in Dallas on Monday affirmed a judge’s August ruling that Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates violates Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins’ ability to lead the county’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. After state District Judge Tonya Parker issued a temporary injunction in Jenkins’ favor Aug. 25, Abbott’s office appealed to the Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas. (11/22)
Health News Florida: Judge Rejects Florida's Request To Block Biden's Vax Mandate For Health Care Workers
A federal judge has quickly rejected Florida’s request to block a Biden administration requirement that workers at hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers be vaccinated against COVID-19. U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers issued an 11-page order Saturday denying a motion by Attorney General Ashley Moody for a preliminary injunction or temporary restraining order against the federal rule. Moody’s office filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging the rule and sought an injunction or temporary restraining order before the vaccination requirement takes effect Dec. 6. (Saunders, 11/22)
Modern Healthcare: Florida Judge: Health Worker COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Can Stand For Now
A federal judge in Florida won't pause the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare facilities before litigation, marking the first time a judge has weighed in on the CMS requirement. CMS, in an interim final rule issued at the beginning of November, required all employees at Medicare- and Medicaid-participating healthcare facilities get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4, with their first shot on or before Dec. 6. Medical and religious exemptions are allowed under the rule, but facilities that don't comply could eventually be kicked out of the Medicare and Medicaid programs. (Goldman, 11/22)
AP: Kansas To Help Workers Resist Biden's COVID Vaccine Mandates
Kansas will soon make it easy for workers to claim religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccine requirements and promise unemployment benefits to people who are fired after refusing the shots, joining other states in resisting federal mandates from President Joe Biden. But Gov. Laura Kelly angered some fellow Democrats in the Republican-controlled Legislature by promising to sign a measure pushed to passage late Monday night by GOP lawmakers. Meanwhile, Republicans frustrated the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, normally influential within the GOP, by embracing proposals that the business group opposed. (Hanna, 11/23)
But vaccine mandates for air travel may be off the cards —
The Washington Post: Buttigieg: Vaccine Mandate For U.S. Flights Isn’t Necessary
During an interview Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said strategies other than a vaccine mandate — such as requiring masks and vaccinating travel industry workers — are “highly effective.” The Transportation Security Administration has extended the federal mask mandate for planes, airports, trains and other mass transportation through Jan. 18, 2022. Host Chuck Todd pressed Buttigieg on the issue, questioning whether he was nervous about putting a policy in place that was politically divisive. The back-and-forth came at the beginning of the busy Thanksgiving holiday season in which TSA expects to screen about 20 million people. At the same time, new daily reported coronavirus cases in the United States have risen 12 percent over the past week, according to data from The Washington Post. (Sampson, 11/22)
