Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
More Companies, Health Providers Mandate Covid Shots — Controversially
CNBC: Employers Can Require Workers Get Vaccinated—And It May Help Business
Covid cases are currently rising in all 50 states as the highly contagious delta variant spreads and vaccination rates level off. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 70% of U.S. adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine — leaving roughly a third of the population unvaccinated. Government organizations such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have long made it clear that employers can require vaccination. (Hess, 8/4)
The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Vaccine Mandates Split Corporate America
Business leaders broadly agree they need to get more workers vaccinated to keep the U.S. economy humming in the face of the fast-spreading Delta variant. But they’re split over how best to do that. Some are dangling bigger bonuses or other incentives to cajole employees into getting the Covid-19 vaccine. Others have started requiring workers get the shot. (Cutter, Nassauer and Tita, 8/4)
ABC News: More Businesses Are Mandating COVID-19 Vaccines. Is That Legal?
With the delta variant surging, some businesses have begun announcing COVID-19 vaccine mandates for employees with some exceptions on religious and medical grounds. The announcements have led to relief for some and strong opposition and protests for others as well as a handful of states introducing legislation to block them. (Pereira, 8/5)
Newsweek: These Companies Are Mandating Employees Get The COVID Vaccine
With the Delta variant surging worldwide, momentum for COVID-19 vaccination mandates has taken speed in the United States and corporations are pushing their employees to receive the vaccine. A growing number of major companies announced their plans to mandate vaccines just in the last few weeks. Here is a list of the companies that are requiring vaccinations for their employees: (Mayer, 8/4)
ABC News: What Is A HIPAA Violation?
Late last month Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, of Georgia, raised eyebrows around the country when she claimed that a reporter's question about her COVID-19 vaccination status was a "violation of my HIPAA rights. "Not even close, legal experts say. (Schumaker, 8/5)
CBS News: Vanguard Offers $1,000 To Each Vaccinated Employee
Vanguard Group is giving $1,000 to employees who show proof of vaccination against COVID-19, with the mutual fund and asset- management firm joining other companies offering both carrots and sticks in an effort to spur workers to get inoculated. And it's quite the golden carrot, that $1,000. Vanguard is offering the unusually rich bonus to its roughly 16,500 U.S.-based workers who get their shots by October, the company confirmed in an email to CBS MoneyWatch after the incentive was first reported by Bloomberg News. (Gibson, 8/4)
And in more news about vaccine mandates —
ABC News: Defense Secretary To Announce Mandatory COVID Vaccinations For Troops 'Soon': Sources
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is expected to announce his recommendation to President Joe Biden that COVID-19 vaccines be made mandatory for troops, officials told ABC News Wednesday evening. A senior official said the announcement will come "soon," while a separate U.S. official said an announcement is expected by the end of this week. (Seyler and Martinez, 8/5)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Advocate Aurora Health Requiring Employees Get Vaccinated For COVID-19
Advocate Aurora Health, the state’s largest health system, has joined other health systems in requiring employees to be vaccinated for COVID-19. Marshfield Clinic Health System, UW Health and Prevea Health, a large physician practice with clinics throughout eastern and northern Wisconsin, also said that they would require employees to be vaccinated. (Boulton, 8/4)
Los Angeles Times: Solis Issues Executive Order Mandating L.A. County Employees Get Vaccinated
Hilda Solis, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, issued an executive order Wednesday evening requiring the county’s 110,000 employees to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 by Oct. 1. In issuing the order, Solis cited an 18-fold increase in coronavirus cases in the county and a five-fold increase in hospitalizations — many involving unvaccinated people — since the county lifted its social distancing restrictions in June and the extra-contagious Delta variant began rapidly spreading across the region. (Rector, 8/4)
CNN: It'll Be Tough For Restaurants To Card For Vaccines. But They're Happy To Do It
One of the world's biggest food capitals just made a bold move when it comes to vaccine mandates -— and it's one that some restaurant owners say they can get behind, even though it may result in fewer customers. On Tuesday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a new rule: Starting later this month, if you want to eat indoors at a restaurant, go to a gym or visit an indoor entertainment venue, you have to show proof of vaccination by flashing your vaccination card or a city or state mobile app. Same deal if you want to work at any of these places. The city will start to enforce the rule in September. (Wiener-Bronner, 8/4)
CNN: New York City And Vaccine Mandates: What Visitors Need To Know
New York City's newly announced vaccine mandate for certain indoor activities raises questions for visitors about meeting the new requirements. The Key to NYC pass, announced Tuesday by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, will require vaccination for workers and customers for indoor dining, indoor fitness facilities and indoor entertainment facilities such as performance spaces and movie theaters. "The only way to patronize these establishments indoors will be if you're vaccinated," de Blasio said Tuesday as he announced the program. (Hunter, 8/4)
The Washington Examiner: Acting Boston Mayor Compares Vaccine Passports To Documentation Required During Slavery
Acting Boston Mayor Kim Janey balked at the idea of mandating proof of COVID-19 vaccines in her city, comparing the idea to slavery policies. "We know that those types of things are difficult to enforce when it comes to vaccines," the Democratic mayor said Tuesday after a reporter asked her about the vaccine passport mandate in New York City. (Richard, 8/4)
The Washington Post: Law Professor Sues George Mason University, Challenging Covid Vaccine Mandate
A law-school professor filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging George Mason University’s coronavirus vaccine mandate, arguing it is unnecessarily coercive and unconstitutional. The nonprofit New Civil Liberties Alliance filed the case against George Mason’s president and some of its other leaders in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on behalf of Todd Zywicki, a professor at the university’s Antonin Scalia Law School. (Svrluga, 8/4)
In updates on mandates in nursing homes —
Axios: Massachusetts To Mandate COVID-19 Vaccination For Long-Term Care Staff
Massachusetts announced Wednesday that most nursing home workers will be required be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by Oct. 10. The requirement comes as cases driven by the Delta variant rise across the U.S. and Massachusetts reported 883 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday. (Frazier, 8/4)
Bangor Daily News: Staffing Shortages Keep Maine Nursing Homes From Mandating COVID-19 Vaccines
Many Maine nursing homes would be requiring employees to get COVID-19 vaccines if not for staffing shortages exacerbated by the pandemic, a recent survey found. The ongoing survey from the Maine Medical Directors Association, which had gotten 43 homes to respond as of Wednesday, found 60 percent of those facilities want to require staff to be vaccinated. But long-standing shortages make them wary of implementing requirements as new cases in Maine creep up, driven by the more contagious delta variant. (Andrews, 8/5)
