As Wave Of GOP Leadership Rolls Into Virginia, Colleges Cut Vax Mandates

The Washington Post: Coronavirus Vaccine Mandates Appear On Way Out At Virginia’s Public Universities After Attorney General’s Opinion
One by one, Virginia’s public universities appear to be falling into line with an opinion from the state’s new Republican attorney general, Jason Miyares, that they are not legally authorized to require students to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. On Monday, Virginia Tech announced it would no longer make coronavirus vaccination a condition of student enrollment. The University of Virginia, meanwhile, said it would no longer threaten to disenroll students this semester who do not get a vaccine booster shot. (Anderson and Lumpkin, 1/31)

In related news about vaccine mandates —

AP: Youngkin, Justice Seek Relief From Health Worker Vax Rule
Warning of hospitals and other health providers facing “an urgent staffing crisis,” the Republican governors of Virginia and West Virginia on Monday asked the Biden administration for a limited waiver to the federal vaccine mandate for health care workers. (Raby and Rankin, 1/31)

Charleston Gazette-Mail: Bill To Slash Unemployment Benefits Sidelined After Vaccine Amendment Adopted
A Senate bill aiming to reduce the number of weeks a person can receive state unemployment benefits was sidelined Monday after West Virginia lawmakers adopted a vaccine exemption amendment to the bill. Legislators left last Thursday’s Senate Judiciary Committee meeting with Sen. Mark Maynard, R-Wayne, proposing an amendment to Senate Bill 2 that would extend unemployment benefits to employees who are fired after refusing a COVID-19 vaccine requirement. Maynard spoke again Monday afternoon before discussion of the bill, saying he was going to withdraw his amendment because it could derail the bill’s intentions entirely. (Severino, 1/31)

AP: Austin To Governors: Guard Troops Must Get COVID-19 Vaccine 
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in letters to seven governors, is reaffirming the need for members of their states’ Army and Air National Guards to get the mandatory COVID-19 vaccine or lose their Guard status. In nearly identical letters signed late last week, Austin tells the governors that the virus “takes our service members out of the fight, temporarily or permanently, and jeopardizes our ability to meet mission requirements,” according to copies obtained Monday by The Associated Press. (Baldor, 1/31)

AP: Mandate To Vaccinate New Orleans Schoolchildren Kicking In 
As school systems across the U.S. struggle to keep classrooms open amid the pandemic, New Orleans is set to become the nation’s first major district to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for children 5 and up, though state regulations will allow parents to opt out easily. Ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, many schools in the city have been holding vaccination events, including one at KIPP Believe school. (Santana, 1/31)

The Boston Globe: After Much Fanfare, Other Cities Balk At Following Boston’s Proof-Of-Vaccination Mandate
When Mayor Michelle Wu announced in December that she would put in place a proof-of-vaccination mandate for Boston restaurants, gyms, and entertainment venues, officials from several other Massachusetts cities stood with her in a show of support. “I’m so grateful to have regional mayors and municipal health officials here, city councilors, state representatives,” Wu said during a City Hall event, “because fighting this pandemic will require shared action and partnership.” But her call for unity has produced mixed results. (Gardizy, 1/31)

Also —

Hearst Television: Man With Kidney Failure Removed From Organ Transplant List For Not Getting COVID-19 Vaccine
A South Carolina man has been declared inactive on a kidney transplant list after he said he has no plans to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Jason Wilson has had kidney failure since he was 10 years old. For a while, his condition improved, he said. But about two years ago, he began dialysis and was placed on Medical University of South Carolina Health's list for a kidney transplant. It was on Nov. 1 that he got a letter from the health system that said he would be moved to inactive status if he didn't get the COVID-19 vaccine by Jan. 1, 2022. "If you do not wish to be vaccinated, we will move you to inactive status until we are able to verify proof of completed vaccination," it read, in part. (1/31)

In news about protests —

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Anti-Vaccination Forces Push For Ouster Of Missouri’s Public Health Chief 
Anti-vaccination activists are attempting to block the confirmation of Gov. Mike Parson’s health chief, falsely alleging he wants to force all Missourians to get vaccinated against COVID-19. In a rally Monday, the group urged the Senate to vote down the appointment of Donald Kauerauf as director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Despite evidence to the contrary, the opponents argued that Kauerauf would attempt to require all Missourians to get vaccinated against a respiratory disease that has killed more than 17,000 Missourians. (Erickson, 1/31)

Politico: Medical Boards Get Pushback As They Try To Punish Doctors For Covid Misinformation 
Medical boards and other regulators across the country are scrambling to penalize doctors who spread misinformation about vaccines or promote unproven cures for Covid-19. But they are unsure whether they’ll prevail over actions by state lawmakers who believe the boards are overreaching. In Maui, the state medical board filed complaints against the state's chief health officer and another physician after they supported Covid-19 treatments federal health officials warned against. In Florida, the nominee for state surgeon general refused to directly answer on the effectiveness and safety of the coronavirus vaccine — and that’s after a local doctor filed a complaint to the state’s medical boards. In Idaho, local GOP officials appointed a pathologist who promoted unproven virus treatments to a local public health board, despite complaints from his peers to state regulators. (Tahir, 2/1)

The Washington Post: Joe Rogan Says He’ll Do Better Research On Covid, Give Listeners Opposing Views: ‘I Don’t Always Get It Right’
As a growing number of musicians yanked their work from the streaming service Spotify over misinformation about coronavirus vaccines, podcaster Joe Rogan posted a video this weekend admitting he could do more to better inform his millions of listeners, particularly when it comes to covid-19. Rogan, in a nearly 10-minute video Sunday night on Instagram, said he’ll make two changes to his show, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” to accomplish that. The first: have mainstream experts give their viewpoints after guests espousing more fringe opinions. (Edwards, 1/31)

Los Angeles Times: Science Podcasters Call Spotify's Support Of Joe Rogan A 'Slap In The Face'
Key people behind a popular science podcast on Spotify said Monday they were upset by the way Spotify has handled misinformation on Joe Rogan’s podcast and plan to limit their production on new episodes. “Spotify’s support of Joe Rogan’s podcast has felt like a slap in the face,” Wendy Zukerman, host and executive producer of “Science Vs” and Blythe Terrell, Science Vs’ editor, wrote in a letter to Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek. Zukerman and Terrell said they believe Spotify’s rules regarding misinformation do not go far enough. (Lee, 1/31)