Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
DeSantis Continues Battle Against Vaccine Mandates
The Washington Post: DeSantis Brings Back Florida Lawmakers To Crack Down On Pandemic Mandates
A special legislative session dubbed “Keep Florida Free” begins Monday at the behest of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who wants lawmakers to pass more measures to block coronavirus vaccine mandates by public and private employers. The four bills being considered would ratchet up the penalties for businesses, local governments and other entities that require workers to be vaccinated against the virus and students to wear masks in school. According to DeSantis (R), the session will strengthen as well as augment rules already in place — in part through his own executive orders. (Rozsa, 11/14)
WFSU: Florida Special Session Begins Taking Up Vaccine And Mask Mandates
Florida lawmakers are returning to Tallahassee to take up a slate of bills that would push back against the federal government’s vaccine mandates and limit local government authority to require COVID-19 immunizations. Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration has been engaged in a game of whack-a-mole with local municipalities and school districts over vaccine and mask mandates. He tried to ban school districts from requiring students to wear face coverings without letting parents opt out — a move that triggered lawsuits and fines and caused the federal government to jump into the fray. (Hatter, 11/15)
On the response to Florida's moves —
WUSF Public Media: Feds Push Back Against Florida's Challenge To The OSHA Vaccine Mandate
Biden administration attorneys late Friday urged a federal appeals court to reject a request by Florida, Georgia and Alabama to put on hold a rule that would require tens of millions of workers nationwide to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or be regularly tested and wear masks. In a 26-page document filed at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, federal attorneys said the rule, issued this month by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, is expected to save thousands of lives. (Saunders, 11/14)
WUSF Public Media: Florida Health Providers Are Caught Between The State And Federal Government On Vaccinations
With Florida lawmakers expected this week to try to thwart vaccination mandates, a long-term care industry group raised concerns Friday about a conflict with a new federal rule that requires health care workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19. LeadingAge Florida, which represents nursing homes and other types of senior facilities and communities, called on lawmakers to include an exemption for health care providers in legislation that likely will pass during a special session that starts Monday. The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services last week issued a rule requiring workers at health care facilities that take part in the Medicare and Medicaid programs to be fully vaccinated by Jan. 4. (Saunders, 11/15)
Resistance doesn't just come from Florida —
The Washington Post: Vaccine Mandate: Oklahoma National Guard Leader Rejects Pentagon Directive
The Oklahoma National Guard has rejected the Defense Department’s requirement for all service members to receive the coronavirus vaccine and will allow personnel to sidestep the policy with no repercussions, an order from the governor that could serve as a blueprint for other Republican-led states that have challenged Biden administration mandates. Brig. Gen. Thomas Mancino, appointed this week by Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) as adjutant of the state’s 10,000 National Guard soldiers and airmen, on Thursday notified those under his command that they are not required to receive the vaccine and won’t be punished if they decline it. (Horton and Lamothe, 11/13)
The New York Times: Dozens Of N.Y.C. Sanitation Workers Were Suspended During An Inquiry Into The Use Of Fake Vaccine Cards
Several dozen New York City workers have been suspended without pay as a part of an investigation into the use of fake vaccine cards at the Department of Sanitation, a city official with knowledge of the investigation said. The investigation will include a thorough review of vaccination records to determine how widespread the fraud might be, said the official, who was not authorized to comment on the investigation and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The development is the latest in a protracted debate over the city’s vaccine mandate for municipal workers. (Ashford, 11/14)
In other news about mandates —
CNN: Colorado Coronavirus: State Announces Vaccine Mandate For Certain Indoor Events As Mountain West States Grapple With Surge
With hospitals throughout Colorado facing increases in Covid-19 hospitalizations, state officials announced that attendees of large public indoor events in certain jurisdictions must be vaccinated in order to help curb the virus' spread. Gatherings of more than 500 people in parts of metro Denver will require attendees to provide proof of vaccination, according to an amended public health order released Sunday, with exceptions provided to places of worship. (Caldwell and Sutton, 11/15)
AP: Missouri To Let Nursing Homes Close Due To Vaccine Mandate
The Missouri health department is giving nursing homes a legal pathway to temporarily shut down if they face staffing shortages because of a new mandate from President Joe Biden's administration for healthcare workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19. An emergency rule published Friday from the state Department of Health and Senior Services would allow skilled nursing and intermediate care facilities to close for up to two years, if they are short staffed because of the vaccine requirement. They could then reopen without having to start the licensure process from scratch. (11/12)
NBC News: Covid Vaccine Mandates Push Some Holdouts To Get The Shot — And Then 'Detox'
In a TikTok video that has garnered hundreds of thousands of views, Dr. Carrie Madej outlined the ingredients for a bath she said will “detox the vaxx” for people who have given into Covid-19 vaccine mandates. The ingredients in the bath are mostly not harmful, although the supposed benefits attached to them are entirely fictional. Baking soda and epsom salts, she falsely claims, will provide a “radiation detox” to remove radiation Madej falsely believes is activated by the vaccine. Bentonite clay will add a “major pull of poison,” she says, based on a mistaken idea in anti-vaccine communities that toxins can be removed from the body with certain therapies. (Collins, 11/12)
