Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Colleges Get Tough With Fines, Restrictions For Non-Vaxxed Students
Politico: Get Vaccinated Or Else: Colleges Roll Out New Punishments For Holdouts
Quinnipiac University students who aren’t vaccinated will be fined up to $200 per week and lose access to the campus’ Wi-Fi until they get the shot. The University of Virginia booted more than 200 unvaccinated people from its rolls before the semester began. And Rutgers University, the first university in the U.S. to mandate vaccination for students, is threatening to disconnect email access and deny campus housing for students who don’t comply. Some colleges used similar tactics last year to get students to follow testing procedures. (Payne, 9/7)
AP: First Responders Nationwide Resist COVID Vaccine Mandates
The resurgence of COVID-19 this summer and the national debate over vaccine requirements have created a fraught situation for the nation’s first responders, who are dying in larger numbers but pushing back against mandates. (Dazio, 9/6)
The Hill: Oregon Governor Sued By Police, Firefighters Over Vaccine Mandate
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) is being sued by Oregon State Police officers and firefighters over the state’s vaccine mandate. (Williams, 9/4)
Indianapolis Star: IU Health Suspends Fewer Than 300 People For Not Being Vaccinated
Indiana University Health has suspended potentially hundreds of employees for failing to be vaccinated against COVID-19, hospital officials said Thursday. In June, Indiana University Health became one of the first employers in the state to require that all of its approximately 36,000 employees be vaccinated against COVID-19, giving them until Sept. 1 to do so. A hospital spokesman did not have a specific number, but said fewer than 300 were suspended. The spokesman indicated the number was dwindling as employees updated their vaccination status. (Rudavsky, 9/2)
KHN: Concert Venues Are Banking On Proof Of Vaccines Or Negative Tests To Woo Back Fans
Two days before hosting an outdoor Wilco concert, the St. Louis Music Park announced it would require proof of vaccination or a negative covid test for all ticket holders, sending some attendees scrambling and upending plans. Concertgoers, promoters and venues nationwide are all having to pivot quickly to find safer ways of enjoying live music amid the pandemic’s delta surge. (Berger, 8/30)
KHN: Lack Of A Vaccine Mandate Becomes Competitive Advantage In Hospital Staffing Wars
After months of burnout from the pandemic, hospitals are scrambling to fill nursing and other jobs. Some administrators, particularly in rural areas, are afraid to implement vaccine mandates that alienate their short-handed staffs. (Weber, 8/31)
In related news about the California recall election —
Politico: Newsom's Closing Message: More People Will Die If I'm Recalled
Republicans harnessed pandemic anger months ago to qualify the recall election against California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Now the Democrat is banking on a pandemic strategy of his own to save his job. After tiptoeing around Covid-19 issues early this summer, Newsom is issuing mask and vaccine mandates and taking a tough-on-the-virus approach in the final stretch of the recall campaign. (Mays, 9/3)
KHN: Voters In Tight Recall Race Sound Off On California Gov. Newsom’s Covid Leadership
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pandemic policies are effectively on California’s Sept. 14 recall ballot — and the electorate views them with a mix of resentment, gratitude and disillusionment. (Bluth, Young, de Marco and Hart, 9/2)
