Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New Vegas Police Must Get Covid Shots; NYPD To Punish Unmasked Officers
AP: Sheriff: New Vegas Police Hires Have To Get COVID-19 Vaccine
New Las Vegas police employees are being required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo told a newspaper. The elected head of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Republican candidate for governor told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in an interview that it was his duty to protect new hires by ensuring they’re inoculated against the coronavirus. (8/19)
New York Post: Unvaccinated NYPD Officers Will Be Disciplined For Not Wearing Masks
The NYPD will discipline unvaccinated cops who don’t mask up while on the job — regardless if they are indoors or outdoors — as city officials try to prevent a surge of serious coronavirus cases in response to the highly infectious Delta variant, The Post has learned. The department’s new guidance for masking was shared with the entire police force Tuesday evening in an administrative bulletin that spelled out instructions for officers to provide proof of the vaccination with the NYPD’s Medical Division, according to a copy of the bulletin obtained by The Post. (McCarthy, 8/18)
Axios: New York City Vaccine Mandate: Businesses Sue NYC
A group of Staten Island small businesses is suing New York City over its mandate requiring people show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to participate in indoor activities. Staten Island reported 237.53 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people as of the week ending on Aug. 15 — the most per capita of any New York City borough, according to government data. The group argues that Mayor Bill de Blasio's executive order will "severely impact" their "business, life savings and livelihood," according to the lawsuit. (Gonzalez, 8/18)
Modern Healthcare: Nurses Are Pro-COVID-19 Vaccines And Boosters, Survey Finds
The vast majority of nurses not only support COVID-19 vaccines, but most also back healthcare worker vaccine mandates, according to the findings of a new survey conducted by the American Nurses Association (ANA). The ANA poll, part of its COVID Vaccine Facts for Nurses education campaign, found that 88% of the 4,900 nurses surveyed were vaccinated or planned to get vaccinated and that 79% felt comfortable discussing vaccines and educating patients. According to the survey, 59% of nurses support vaccines mandates in the workplace, while another 12% are in favor of vaccinate mandates for customer-facing employees only. (Christ, 8/18)
CNN: Fox News Mandates That Its Employees Disclose Vaccination Status, Contradicting Rhetoric From Its Top Stars
The right-wing channel Fox News, whose top personalities have for months assailed the concept of vaccine passports and argued that asking about vaccine status amounts to a major intrusion of privacy, told employees this week that they must disclose their vaccination status to the company. In a Tuesday memo updating staff on Covid-19 procedures, Fox News Media chief executive Suzanne Scott said that the company has "asked all employees — whether on site as part of our essential workforce or working remotely — to upload their vaccination status" into an internal database. (Darcy, 8/18)
KHN: If The Unvaccinated Want To Work, They Face A Series Of Hurdles
With the delta variant surging, a growing number of employers are tiring of merely cajoling workers to get vaccinated against covid-19 and are following President Joe Biden’s protocol for federal workers: Either show proof of vaccination, or mask up and get regular testing if you want to work on-site. The federal government — the nation’s largest employer — will require unvaccinated employees to wear masks while working, get regular testing and take other precautions, like maintaining physical distance from co-workers and restricting work travel. Several states, including California, Hawaii, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, also say unvaccinated state workers must get regular tests. (Appleby, 8/19)
