Religious Leaders Fielding Many Requests For Vaccine Exemptions

AP: Many Faith Leaders Say No To Endorsing Vaccine Exemptions
As significant numbers of Americans seek religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccine mandates, many faith leaders are saying: Not with our endorsement. Leaders of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America said Thursday that while some people may have medical reasons for not receiving the vaccine, “there is no exemption in the Orthodox Church for Her faithful from any vaccination for religious reasons.” The Holy Eparchial Synod of the nationwide archdiocese, representing the largest share of Eastern Orthodox people in the United States, urged members to “pay heed to competent medical authorities, and to avoid the false narratives utterly unfounded in science.” (Smith, 9/17)

Oklahoman: OKC Catholics Are Discussing COVID-19 Vaccine Religious Exemptions
Some parishioners in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City are having discussions about COVID-19 vaccine religious exemptions with their priests, while the faith group's archbishop has also spoken on the issue. Religious exemptions for COVID-19 vaccines have been in the news recently after an Oklahoma political candidate and pastor said he has distributed numerous exemptions in the wake of a new federal mandate. President Joe Biden recently announced vaccination requirements for federal workers and companies with more than 100 employees. (Hinton, 9/19)

Axios: International Mission Board To Require COVID Vaccine For Missionaries 
The International Mission Board, which deploys thousands of missionaries, announced that its plans to require COVID-19 vaccinations for those they're sending into the field. COVID-19 refusal rates are among the highest among white evangelical Christians and the requirement by the International Mission Board may be the first U.S. missionary agency known to have such a mandate. The policy from the International Mission Board applies to both current and future missionaries as well as some staff members. (Frazier, 9/17)

In other news about vaccine and mask mandates —

Axios: Footage Shows New Details After NYC Restaurant Incident Over Proof Of Vaccination 
Three tourists were arrested after allegedly assaulting a New York City restaurant hostess when she asked for proof of their vaccination status before they could be seated indoors, the New York Times reports. On Saturday, lawyers for the restaurant and the three women revealed that the tourists had in fact shown proof of vaccination and been allowed into Carmine's Italian restaurant, according to the Times. They were then joined by three men, only one of whom showed a vaccine card. The group then left the restaurant and that's where the fight broke out, per the Times. (Frazier and Saric, 9/19)

Politico: Mississippi’s Governor Criticizes Biden’s Vaccine Mandate While Suggesting People Get Vaccinated 
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves argued against the White House’s vaccine mandate, calling the "unilateral action" an attack on the people of his state and threatening to sign onto a Republican-led lawsuit against it, despite the state having the country’s highest death rate per capita. In a contentious interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Reeves on Sunday criticized President Joe Biden’s push for more vaccinations by requiring employers with over 100 employees to require their workers to be vaccinated. (Crummy, 9/19)

Louisville Courier Journal: Nearly Half Of Kentucky Prison Staff Unvaccinated Against COVID-19
Nearly half of Kentucky Department of Corrections employees remain unvaccinated against COVID-19, despite a rule requiring workers without a vaccine in the state's 13 prison facilities to be tested up to twice per week. While 54% of workers in state prisons have been vaccinated, that figure is well below half in four facilities, with just 33% of staff vaccinated at the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Facility in West Liberty. At a press conference last week, Gov. Andy Beshear acknowledged that state corrections officers "are some of the lowest vaccinated populations by percentage, and I wish that wasn't the case." (Sonka, 9/20)

Salt Lake Tribune: Protesters In Salt Lake City Decry Vaccine And Mask Mandates
About 100 protesters waving American flags and holding signs decrying mask and vaccine mandates gathered along the curb of 700 East in Liberty Park Saturday, making Salt Lake City one of dozens of cities around the world protesting public health-related restrictions. The international group World Wide Demonstration promoted such events — called the Rally for Freedom — everywhere from Denmark to South Africa to Taiwan Saturday. The group held other rallies throughout the pandemic also protesting public health mandates. (Mesch, 9/18)

CIDRAP: Key Nursing Home Staff Lag In COVID-19 Vaccination, Study Shows 
A study yesterday in JAMA Internal Medicine finds that substantially higher proportions of US nursing home residents are vaccinated against COVID-19 than health workers, with certified nursing assistants (CNAs), who perform the vast majority of direct resident care, lagging considerably. ... Sixty percent of staff and 81.4% of residents, on average, from more than 14,900 nursing homes were fully vaccinated. Mean vaccination rates were lowest among CNAs (49.2%) and registered and licensed practical nurses (61.0%), while therapists, physicians, and independent practitioners had 70.9% and 77.3% coverage, respectively. (Van Beusekom, 9/17)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Penn Health System’s COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Gets Near Total Compliance
About 99% of the University of Pennsylvania Health System’s 38,000 employees have complied with its COVID-19 vaccine mandate, including about 760 who got exemptions or deferrals for medical or religious reasons. Less than 1%, or about 380, were fired or quit rather than get the shots. UPHS provided that update on Friday, 17 days after the deadline for compliance. Officials are still analyzing final data for another 6,000 workers who are in UPHS facilities and thus required to be vaccinated, but are not paid by the health system. (McCullough, 9/17)