Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Senate Votes To Gut Biden's Workplace Vaccine Mandate
Politico: Senate Issues Rebuke Of Biden's Workplace Vaccine Mandate
The Senate issued a high-profile rebuke of President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate on large businesses Wednesday night, in a largely symbolic vote to get rid of a key component of the administration's Covid-19 response. Democrats Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Jon Tester (Mont.) joined all the Republicans present in the 52-48 vote after critics assailed the mandate as an example of federal overreach and dismissed its option of weekly testing for workers who refuse to get shots as an insufficient accommodation. (Ollstein, 12/8)
In other news about covid mandates —
Fox News: NYC Correction Officers Sue Over De Blasio’s COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate, Work Conditions
The union representing New York City correction officers, the department known as the city’s "boldest," took a stand Wednesday against Mayor Bill de Blasio’s "draconian" vaccine mandate and subsequent dangerous work conditions by filing a lawsuit against the city demanding that the jab policy be halted. Benny Boscio Jr., the head of the Correction Officers Benevolent Association, told the New York Post that hundreds of correction officers were sent home last week and placed on unpaid leave for not rolling up their sleeves for the jab. The problem is compounded because 1,4000 other officers have resigned or retired since 2019, the report said. (DeMarche, 12/9)
Los Angeles Times: Judge Weighs Suit On LAUSD COVID-19 Student Vaccine Mandate
A judge said Wednesday he is inclined to deny a request by two parent groups for a preliminary injunction against the Los Angeles Unified School District’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for students, but he took the case under submission after a raucous hearing in which he twice admonished the crowd against outbursts. In front of a packed courtroom, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff said he wanted to study the issues further. His tentative ruling was to deny the injunction sought by the California Chapter of Children’s Health Defense as well as a second group, Protection of the Educational Rights of Kids, which filed the petition on Oct. 13. About 930 LAUSD parents are members of PERK and another 540 of CHD-CA, according to the court papers of the two nonprofit groups. (12/8)
Oklahoman: Oklahoma's Two Biggest Colleges Pause Their COVID Vaccine Mandates
Oklahoma's two largest universities have paused their COVID-19 vaccine mandates for employees. The decision follows a Georgia federal judge's decision Tuesday to temporarily block the Biden administration's vaccine mandate for all institutions that hold contracts with the federal government. The University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University announced Wednesday employees are not required to be vaccinated or seek exemptions as long as the court order remains in place. (Martinez-Keel, 12/8)
PBS NewsHour: Tensions Rise Among Lawmakers, Parents As Louisiana Debates Vaccine Mandates In Schools
The debate around vaccine requirements for school children took center stage at the Louisiana State Capitol on Dec. 6 with parents and lawmakers passionately pushing back against a proposal by the Louisiana Department of Health to require the COVID-19 vaccine for most school children. State health officials said exemptions are available, and the proposal is not a mandate. Politics and growing political divides surrounding vaccines loom large across the country, but particularly in a state where the vaccination rate is still 36 percent in some areas, compared to the 49 percent statewide. (Chavez, 12/8)
