Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Get Shot Or Get Tested, Mask Up: Biden To Lay Down Vaccine Rules For Feds
The New York Times: Biden To Require Federal Workers To Be Vaccinated Or Take Regular Tests
President Biden will formally announce on Thursday that all civilian federal employees must be vaccinated against the coronavirus or be forced to submit to regular testing, social distancing, mask requirements and restrictions on most travel, two people familiar with the president’s plans said on Wednesday. White House officials said the administration was still reviewing details of the policy, which the president is expected to announce in a speech from the White House. In a statement on Tuesday, Mr. Biden said his remarks would reveal “the next steps in our effort to get more Americans vaccinated.” (Shear, 7/28)
AP: Biden To Launch Vaccine Push For Millions Of Federal Workers
An individual familiar with the president’s plans, who spoke on condition of anonymity to confirm details that had yet to be announced publicly, emphasized that the new guidance is not a vaccine mandate for federal employees and that those who decide not to get vaccinated aren’t at risk of being fired. The new policy amounts to a recognition by the Biden administration that the government — the nation’s biggest employer — must do more to boost sluggish vaccination rates, as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations rebound, driven largely by the spread of the more infectious delta variant. (Jaffe and Alonso-Zaldivar, 7/29)
Politico: Biden's New Weapon Against Covid-19: Don't Call It A Mandate
The White House is readying its most aggressive action to date on Covid vaccinations. But it's trying to avoid one word: mandate. President Joe Biden is due to issue a directive Thursday requiring some 2 million federal employees to attest they’ve received the shot or submit to weekly testing, according to four people familiar with the plans. The move would avoid the kind of top-down order Biden has resisted using for months to contain the virus. But it would give federal departments and agencies discretion to force certain employees to show proof of vaccination, as the Department of Veterans Affairs did this week with its front-line health workers. (Owermohle, Cancryn, Korecki and Banco, 7/28)
And New York issues a vaccine mandate for state workers —
Axios: COVID-19: NY To Require State Employees To Get Vaccinated Or Submit To Testing
State employees in New York will be required to either get vaccinated or submit to regular coronavirus testing starting on Labor Day, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced on Wednesday. The announcement comes as some areas have reimposed coronavirus restrictions, as country continues to grapple with the spread of the highly-transmissive Delta variant. (Gonzalez, 7/28)
