Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
NYC, New Jersey Requiring All Educators To Get Covid Shots
The New York Times: N.Y.C. Educators Must Be Vaccinated By September, De Blasio Says
New York City will require all Department of Education employees to have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine by Sept. 27, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday. The announcement represents a major step in the effort to fully reopen the country’s largest school district next month, and a significant escalation of the mayor’s push to vaccinate more New Yorkers. Mr. de Blasio has put reopening city schools at the center of his plan to help New York recover from the pandemic. The mayor is eager to reassure anxious parents and educators that schools will be safe this year despite an uptick in cases in the last two months linked to the Delta variant, especially since the city is no longer offering a remote learning option. (Shapiro, 8/23)
Axios: New Jersey Implements Vaccine Mandate For School And State Workers
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced in a series of tweets Monday that all state workers and preschool through high school teachers will be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 18 or submit to weekly testing. New Jersey joins a growing contingent of states instituting similar requirements for state employees and school teachers and staff. (Saric, 8/23)
In news on vaccine mandates and restrictions elsewhere —
AP: CVS Requires Pharmacists, Nurses To Get Vaccine
CVS Health Corp. is joining the group of U.S. companies that require employees who have contact with customers to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. Nurses and other employees who interact with patients, as well as all corporate staff, must be vaccinated by Oct. 31, the company said Monday. It said pharmacists have until Nov. 30 to be vaccinated. (8/24)
Axios: Carnival Cruise To Require COVID Vaccination Proof For Over-12s
Cruise lines are tightening pandemic protocols as the Delta variant of COVID-19 surges globally, with Carnival Cruise Line the latest to tighten vaccine requirements. Cruise ships were a coronavirus epicenter early in the pandemic, and the CDC advised last Friday that people at increased risk of severe illness from the coronavirus should avoid traveling on cruises. (Falconer, 8/23)
CNBC: Disney World To Require Covid-19 Vaccinations For Unionized Employees
Disney has reached a deal with its unions to require all of its unionized employees working at Walt Disney World in Florida to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by October 22, 2021. The move comes nearly a month after Disney mandated that all of its salaried and non-union hourly employees in the U.S. needed to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by the end of September. No deal has been struck with unions on the west coast that cater to Disneyland Resort employees. (Whitten, 8/23)
AP: Commissioner Calls For Federal Firefighter Vaccine Mandate
The leader of Washington state’s wildfire response is calling on federal agencies to take the additional step of requiring COVID-19 vaccinations among their wildland firefighting forces to secure the country’s wildfire response capability. In a letter Monday to U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, State Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz also called for the deployment of federal resources to make vaccinations available at all fire camps on federal land. (8/23)
The Washington Post: Navajo Nation Requires Vaccines For Tribal Employees
The Navajo Nation will require all of its employees to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by the end of September or be tested regularly, as the reservation seeks to hold off the threat of a surge in cases brought on by the delta variant. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said in a statement that he had issued an executive order requiring vaccinations because “we cannot afford to shut down the government again.” (Pietsch, 8/24)
In news on who opposes vaccine mandates —
CNN: Staten Island Hospital Employees Protest Covid-19 Vaccine Mandate
Employees at a Staten Island, New York, hospital are protesting Covid-19 vaccination and testing requirements from their parent healthcare network, as the area leads the city in new cases per capita and as hospitals in the nation's hotspots are overrun. On August 16, Staten Island University Hospital, which is part of Northwell Health, started requiring employees to be vaccinated or face weekly testing. Starting on September 27, the state will require that all health care workers have at least one vaccine except for those who have a religious or medical exemption. (Studley and Romine, 8/23)
Oklahoman: Nursing Home Leaders Fear Staffing Crisis With COVID Vaccine Mandate
Oklahoma nursing home leaders are worried that the Biden administration's plan to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for their employees could exacerbate staffing shortages or even force facilities to close. The president announced this week that nursing homes who don’t require their workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 risk losing Medicaid and Medicare funding, under the new proposed mandate. Oklahoma has the fourth lowest rate of fully vaccinated health care personnel at about 48%, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The only states with lower averages are Florida, Missouri and Louisiana. (Branham, 8/23)
Detroit Free Press: Whitmer Says She Won't Mandate COVID Vaccines, Masks
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is not considering a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for state workers now that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration granted the first full authorization Monday of a coronavirus vaccine. "There are no plans to do any broad mandates," she said Monday, referring to her decision not mandate vaccines or require masks at Michigan schools. "Those who were uneasy because of the early use authorization status of the vaccine maybe now will have a greater confidence in the fact that these vaccines are safe and they work." (Jordan Shamus and Boucher, 8/23)
AP: Ohio House Republicans Debate Anti-Vaccination Bill Again
A Republican-backed bill that would prohibit Ohio employers from requiring workers to receive vaccinations was scheduled for additional testimony from supporters and opponents on Tuesday. The measure before the GOP-controlled House Health Committee has attracted multiple opponents of COVID-19 vaccines but does not mention the coronavirus. Instead, it addresses mandatory requirements for all vaccines, such as for the flu. (Welsh-Huggins, 8/24)
