Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Fights Over Vaccine Requirements Ratchet Up In Parts Of US
The New York Times: New York City Sets Vaccine Mandate For Religious And Private School Workers
New York City will require employees at yeshivas, Catholic schools and other private schools to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, in what is believed to be the largest effort in the nation to force religious schools to adhere to a vaccine mandate. The new directive, which was announced on Thursday, is expected to affect roughly 930 schools and 56,000 employees, city officials said. They will have to show proof they received the first dose of a vaccine by Dec. 20. (Fitzsimmons, 12/2)
Axios: Oklahoma Sues Biden Administration Over Pentagon Vaccine Mandate
The state of Oklahoma filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration on Thursday in an attempt to block the enforcement of its vaccine mandate for federal employees. The move comes one day after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin denied Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt's (R) request to exempt the state's National Guard from the mandate. It's the latest escalation in Stitt's scuffle with the Pentagon over the mandate, which requires the Air National Guard and Army National Guard to get vaccinated by Thursday and June 30, respectively. (Chen, 12/2)
AP: New Jersey GOP Lawmakers Defy Vaccine Mandate
Disorder and confusion erupted in the halls outside the New Jersey Assembly on Thursday as several Republican lawmakers defied a new requirement to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test and were blocked by state troopers— albeit briefly — from entering the ornate chamber. Hours later, a state appellate court handed a victory to Republicans who had sued to block the proof-of-vaccination requirement, granting the GOP’s application for a stay of the order and setting a potential hearing date for later this month. It was not immediately clear what effect the ruling would have on the requirement. (Catalini, 12/3)
Modern Healthcare: Providers In Limbo After COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Paused
Hospitals and health systems are in a holding pattern after a federal judge in Louisiana temporarily blocked a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, bringing both relief and uncertainty to some providers. The mandate, subject to a preliminary injunction under a ruling Tuesday, could still be reinstated. The federal government has appealed the decision, and even if the court ultimately were to rule for the Republican officials who sought to invalidate President Joe Biden's policy, the government likely would appeal. Other courts are considering similar lawsuits filed by other GOP officeholders. The issue could go all the way to the Supreme Court, said Laurel Cornell, a partner at the law firm Fisher Phillips. (Goldman, 12/2)
Los Angeles Times: O.C. Education Board Sues Newsom Over COVID State Of Emergency
For the second time in recent months, the Orange County Board of Education is mounting a legal challenge to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pandemic-related state of emergency declaration. In August, the California Supreme Court declined to hear the board’s previous petition seeking to overturn Newsom’s emergency rule-making authorities that included allowing state officials to issue a mask mandate for K-12 students this summer ahead of the new school year. (San Román, 12/2)
Meanwhile, in Missouri —
The New York Times: Missouri Withheld Data Showing Effectiveness Of Mask Mandates
Mask mandates were effective as the Delta variant of the coronavirus was driving a surge in Covid-19 cases across Missouri, according to an analysis that the state’s Department of Health and Senior Services conducted in early November. But the state did not immediately share that data with the public. Instead, the information was released on Wednesday, a month later, because of a public records request by The Missouri Independent, a nonprofit news organization that reported the findings, and the Documenting Covid-19 project at the Brown Institute for Media Innovation. (Holpuch, 12/2)
