Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pentagon Says Civilian Workers Must Get Covid Shots
AP: Pentagon Mandates COVID-19 Vaccine For Civilian Workers
All civilians who work for the Defense Department and the military services must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by Nov. 22, under new guidelines released Monday. A memo signed by Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks on Friday said the new mandate is in line with the presidential directive issued last month requiring federal agencies to implement vaccine requirements. (Baldor, 10/4)
AP: US Unveils Guidance For Federal Vaccine Mandate, Exemptions
With just weeks remaining before federal workers must be vaccinated against COVID-19, the federal government on Monday outlined procedures for employees to request medical or religious exemptions from President Joe Biden’s mandate. The Office of Management and Budget released the new guidance Monday afternoon ahead of the Nov. 22 deadline for workers to be fully vaccinated, outlining specific medical conditions that would warrant an exemption. Under the guidelines, agencies are to direct workers to get their first shot within two weeks of an exemption request being denied, or the resolution of a medical condition. They also make clear that federal agencies may deny medical or religious exemptions if they determine that no other safety protocol is adequate. (Miller, 10/4)
In other news about mandates —
The Hill: Largest New York Healthcare Provider Fires 1,400 Employee Over Vaccine Refusal
Northwell Health, the largest healthcare provider in New York state, on Monday fired 1,400 of its employees who did not comply with the state's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The company's assistant Vice President of public relations Joe Kemp confirmed to The Hill that Northwell had terminated 1,400 employees who did not get vaccinated as was ordered by former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D). These employees represented less than one percent of Northwell's workforce of more than 76,000 who are all immunized against COVID-19. (Choi, 10/4)
Dallas Morning News: Children’s Health Says 99% Of Its Employees Got Vaccinated By Oct. 1 Deadline
Dallas-based Children’s Health says 99% of its 7,500 workers are vaccinated against COVID-19 as of the hospital system’s Oct. 1 deadline. Children’s Health was one of three North Texas health care systems to set last Friday as a deadline. Baylor Scott & White and Methodist Health System have yet to report the number of employees that did not comply with their respective mandates. Children’s Health did not specify the next steps for employees who haven’t shown proof of vaccination. (Wolf, 10/4)
The CT Mirror: Lamont: State Employees Responding To Vaccination Deadline
Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday that the number of state employees non-compliant with a COVID-19 vaccination-or-testing mandate was falling with the approach of an 11:59 p.m. deadline to report their status. As of 5 p.m., 93% of executive-branch employees had submitted evidence of vaccinations or testing, with the administration predicting that most of the remaining 7% would file by day’s end. Failure to comply will lead to unpaid suspensions, but Lamont predicted minimal disruptions. (Pazniokas, 10/4)
Bloomberg: Colorado Steps Up Pressure On Unvaccinated State Employees
Get jabbed or face the consequence. That’s the word from Colorado Governor Jared Polis who issued an order allowing for expedited disciplinary measures against state workers who fail to get vaccinated against Covid-19 and work with “vulnerable populations and populations living in congregate living settings.” The executive action suspends portions of the state’s Personnel Board Rules, the governor’s office announced Sunday night. Such settings include corrections and human services facilities. (Del Giudice, 10/4)
Health News Florida: Enforcing The Vaccine Mandate For 80 Million Workers Is A Big Job For OSHA
In early September, just before President Biden ordered 80 million workers to get vaccinated or undergo regular testing, a question went viral on the internet. "Would y'all report your unvaccinated co-worker(s) for $200K?" asked @RevampedCP on Twitter. The responses came quickly. I would report my coworkers for a bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos. And not even a party size bag. I'd report them to get out of work five minutes early. I'd report them to get out of work two minutes early. I'd report them for a basket of Shake Shack fries. I'd report them for free. "I was not expecting this," says Arianny Mercedes, the career strategist and public policy student at the University of Virginia who dashed off the original tweet as she contemplated how far people would be willing to go to get back to "normal." (Hsu, 10/4)
Politico: DNC Says Unvaccinated Workers Could Be Fired
The Democratic National Committee told workers Monday evening that unvaccinated workers could “face termination” if they did not have a legally recognized exemption, according to an internal email obtained by POLITICO. “This is part of the President’s national strategy and is a critical tool to combat COVID-19 and save lives in the months ahead,” read the internal email from the DNC’s chief operations officer, Monica Guardiola. (Thompson, 10/4)
And another major airline will require vaccinations for its workers —
The Dallas Morning News: Southwest Airlines Will Require All Workers To Be Vaccinated 'To Continue Employment'
Dallas-based Southwest Airlines will require all 60,000 employees to be vaccinated or get an exemption to “continue employment with the airline”, following competitors such as United, American and JetBlue that have already announced plans to follow the White House mandates on the COVID-19 vaccines. Southwest has 60,000 employees nationwide and was the country’s largest airline in pandemic-stricken 2020. The company and other airlines are under pressure from the Biden Administration to make sure all employees receive at COVID-19 vaccine. The company confirmed that it spoke with a White House representative last week. (Arnold, 10/4)
