Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Top Officials Stepping Down From CDC And FDA Covid Teams
Politico: Top CDC Official Steps Aside As Head Of Pandemic Task Force
The veteran official leading the pandemic response at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is stepping aside, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Henry Walke, who has overseen the CDC’s Covid-19 response for more than a year, will be replaced by Barbara Mahon, the deputy chief of the agency’s enteric-disease branch, those sources said. Walke will remain at the agency as director of the CDC’s Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections. (Banco and Owermohle, 9/27)
The Hill: FDA Official Taking On Responsibilities To Lead Vaccine Office
Peter Marks, a high-ranking official at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), took on responsibilities to lead the agency’s vaccine office on Monday, as the office prepares for the retirement of two others who had publicly cast doubt on the need for COVID-19 boosters. An FDA spokesperson said the agency elevated Marks to acting director of the Office of Vaccines Research and Review “to prepare for the upcoming retirement of two senior members of the team” in the fall. (Coleman, 9/27)
In related news about President Biden's vaccine mandate —
The Hill: Business Groups Want Seat At The Table On Biden Vaccine Rule
Business groups are growing increasingly frustrated as Labor Department officials move forward with President Biden’s vaccine requirement without seeking their input. While lobbying groups that represent some of the country’s biggest corporations don’t oppose the rule, which will require employers with more than 100 workers to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations or weekly testing, those same organizations have presented Biden officials with lengthy lists of questions about the rule that have so far gone unanswered. (Evers-Hillstrom, 9/27)
Politico: Texas Airline Pilots Warn That Vaccine Mandates Could Roil Holiday Flights
Unions representing pilots at Southwest Airlines and American Airlines, both based in Texas, are asking for exemptions to President Joe Biden's pending vaccine mandate, with one of those unions warning that holiday travel could be disrupted if they have to comply. In a Sept. 24 letter distributed to 15 officials across the FAA, Congress, DOT and others, the Allied Pilots Association, which represents 14,000 pilots at American, suggested mandatory vaccinations could cause disruptions across the aviation industry as airlines will be forced to “offer unpaid leaves of absence or, worse, implement mass terminations of unvaccinated pilots.” (Pawlyk, 9/27)
The Washington Post: New U.S. Travel Rules Close Door On Those Fully Vaccinated With Russia’s Sputnik V
The United States announced last week that it would soon open its doors to foreign travelers vaccinated against the coronavirus, loosening restrictions for broad swaths of global visitors for the first time since the pandemic began. But the new rules, set to take effect in November, appear to also shut out many people who consider themselves to be fully immunized — including millions who have received two doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine. (Taylor, 9/27)
Time: Biden's COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Frustrated OSHA: Officials
When President Joe Biden directed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on Sept. 9 to impose strict COVID-19 vaccination and testing protocols on large businesses, the OSHA employees were ready. It marked the first time in nearly five years that the small agency had the opportunity to fulfill its mission to protect workers across industries from “recognized serious hazards.” But it also highlighted tensions between OSHA and the White House, exposing simmering resentments over how the White House has approached working with the Department of Labor during the pandemic, according to three former top OSHA officials. (Zorthian, 9/27)
