Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
No Veterans Benefits Guarantee For Military Vaccine Holdouts
The Military Times: Troops Who Refuse COVID Vaccines Won’t Be Guaranteed Veterans Benefits, Officials Warn
Troops who refuse the coronavirus vaccine won’t see any extra protections or leniency in how their dismissals are handled, Defense and Veterans Affairs officials confirmed Wednesday. Instead, decisions on whether to give those individuals other-than-honorable discharges — potentially blocking them from a host of veterans benefits — will be left to local commanders, and their cases won’t receive any preferential evaluations for veterans’ benefits eligibility, despite recent lobbying from Republicans lawmakers for a less punishing approach. (Shane III, 11/3)
The Wall Street Journal: Thousands In Air Force, Space Force Seek Exemption From Covid-19 Vaccines
At least 7,599 airmen and members of the Space Force haven’t received a Covid-19 vaccine, either refusing to do so or seeking exemptions from military requirements, the Air Force said Wednesday, in a first set of challenges to a departmentwide mandate that troops be vaccinated to serve. Of that number, the Air Force has approved medical or administrative exemptions for 1,866 Air Force and Space Force members, meaning they don’t have to receive a vaccine, the Air Force said. (Youssef, 11/3)
The Military Times: Nearly 8,500 Active-Duty Airmen And Guardians Missed The Vaccination Deadline
Nearly all active-duty members of the Air Force and Space Force complied with the mandate to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by Nov. 2, but almost 8,500 troops did not — and are now in danger of being kicked out of the military. Another 1,800 or so secured exemptions from the requirement, a spokesperson said Wednesday. In total, 10,352 active-duty airmen and guardians remain unprotected. (Cohen, 11/3)
The Norman Transcript: Oklahoma Governor Wants Department Of Defense To Suspend Vaccine Requirement For National Guard Troops
Oklahoma’s governor has asked the U.S. Secretary of Defense to suspend COVID-19 vaccine mandates for Oklahoma National Guard troops after 10% of the state’s personnel said they either have not or do not plan to get vaccinated. In his letter to Lloyd Austin, Gov. Kevin Stitt wrote that about 800 Oklahoma National Guard personnel haven’t or won’t get vaccinated despite a Department of Defense requirement that all military troops be vaccinated or face dismissal. (Stecklein, 11/3)
And in more news about covid mandates —
The Washington Post: New York Mayor-Elect Eric Adams To ‘Revisit’ Vaccine Mandate
Eric Adams, who was just elected as mayor of New York, is jumping right into the hot-button topic of coronavirus vaccine mandates — saying he plans to review the requirements now in place for municipal workers, which have been unpopular among some unions representing the city’s firefighters and police officials. Adams, a Democrat and a former police captain, said, “The mask mandates we should keep in place … We need to revisit how we are going to address the vaccine mandates.” (Jeong and Suliman, 11/4)
Los Angeles Times: Sheriff Villanueva Blasts Vaccine Mandate; LAPD's Moore Braces For Impacts
For weeks, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has blasted the county’s vaccine mandate for employees, saying he won’t force his deputies to get inoculated. It’s a decidedly different stance from the one taken by Michel Moore, chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, who has agreed to enforce the vaccination rules city officials put in place. And it shows in their vaccination figures. About 53% of 16,070 Sheriff’s Department employees, both sworn and civilian, have had at least one dose of a vaccine, compared with 74% of 12,143 LAPD employees, according to figures released by each agency. (Tchekmedyian, Rector and Winton, 11/3)
Des Moines Register: Polk County Administrator Scolds Sheriff Over Employee COVID Testing
Polk County Administrator John Norris acknowledges erupting this week at Sheriff Kevin Schneider over the sheriff’s refusal to begin testing unvaccinated employees in his office for COVID-19. The county's top public safety official has resisted, Norris said, even though other county department heads have been doing so for more than a month, as required under a policy the county supervisors approved Sept. 14. Norris said he confronted Schneider over the issue after a supervisors' meeting Tuesday. He said he told the sheriff it could become a budget issue if he isn't willing to enforce a public safety policy aimed at protecting county employees, jail inmates and the public at large. (Rood, 11/3)
Oklahoman: Oklahoma City Schools Fires 6 Teachers Who Refused To Wear Masks
Six teachers who refused to wear masks have been fired from Oklahoma City Public Schools. The district Board of Education voted to terminate their employment after hearing testimony and asking questions during a hearing Wednesday evening. The board voted unanimously after hearing hours of testimony. The six board members present deliberated for almost two hours in executive session. (Martinez-Keel, 11/3)
Detroit Free Press: Ford To Comply With Federal Mandate For COVID-19 Vaccines -- For Salaried Workers
Ford Motor Co. became the first of the Detroit Three automakers to comply with a federal order on COVID-19 vaccines, announcing that it will require salaried workers get the shots by early December. The company notified employees Tuesday that most of the 32,000 white-collar employees in the U.S. will be affected. (Wall Howard, 11/3)
Also —
Politico: 5-Year-Olds Soon Have To Show Vaccine Cards In San Francisco
San Francisco will soon require children as young as 5 to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination to enter certain indoor public spaces like restaurants, entertainment venues and sporting events, public health officials said this week. The local mandate already requires children and adults over the age of 12 to show proof that they are vaccinated before entering those places. Now, city health officials are planning to extend the health order to children ages 5 to 11, the group newly eligible for the shot. (Colliver, 11/3)
