Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
VA Mandates Vaccines For Its Health Workers; California, NYC Set New Rules
The New York Times: V.A. Issues Vaccine Mandate For Health Care Workers, A First For A Federal Agency
The Department of Veterans Affairs will require 115,000 of its frontline health care workers to be vaccinated against the coronavirus in the next two months, making it the first federal agency to mandate that employees be inoculated, government officials said on Monday. The move comes as concern is growing that the substantial portion of the population that has not been vaccinated is contributing to the rapid spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. While it was a sharp departure from the Biden administration’s reluctance to embrace mandates, it was part of a broader shift in which New York City, many hospital chains and some private employers are deciding that the time has come to make being vaccinated a requirement. (Steinhauer, 7/26)
USA Today: COVID Infections Double At VA Facilities As Agency Mandates Vaccines
The Department of Veterans Affairs announced Monday that it will require its health care professionals to be vaccinated within the next two months as coronavirus infections have more than doubled in the past month at its medical facilities. The VA reported nearly 3,900 infections among veterans and staff Monday, up from about 1,500 in mid-June, a USA TODAY review found. Hospitalizations last week totaled 345, up from 225 at the end of May. The numbers are nowhere near the peak of nearly 18,000 cases reported at the VA in January, but they're growing. In the past week alone, the VA reported 911 more active infections and 73 more deaths. (Slack, 7/26)
CNBC: VA Will Require Health-Care Workers To Get Covid Vaccine
Veteran Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough described the new measure as “the best way to keep Veterans safe.” “Whenever a Veteran or VA employee sets foot in a VA facility, they deserve to know that we have done everything in our power to protect them from COVID-19. With this mandate, we can once again make and keep that fundamental promise,” McDonough wrote in a statement. (Macias, 7/26)
The Washington Post: ‘A Tipping Point’: Governments, Agencies, Health Workers Move To Require Coronavirus Vaccines
Health-care leaders say the moves represent an escalation of the nation’s fight against the coronavirus — the first concerted effort to mandate that tens of millions of Americans get vaccinated, more than seven months after regulators authorized the shots and as new cases rip through the nation. VA’s mandate applies to more than 100,000 front-line workers, New York City’s applies to about 45,000 city employees and contractors, and California’s applies to more than 2.2 million state employees and health workers. “You can call it a tipping point,” said Mark Ghaly, California’s health secretary, noting that millions of people have declined the shots despite public health experts’ appeals and a range of incentives. “For so many Californians and Americans, this might be the time to get vaccinated.” (Diamond, 7/26)
California and New York City join the mandates —
Los Angeles Times: California State, Health Workers Must Show Vaccination Proof
California state and healthcare employees will soon be required to show proof they’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19, with those who remain uninoculated subject to a regular testing regimen, as part of growing national effort to use such screenings in hopes of slowing a new coronavirus surge. The action comes as institutions ranging from cities to some private businesses and the federal Veterans Administration move to check employee vaccination status in hopes of blunting the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant without returning to the restrictions seen earlier in the pandemic. (Money, Alpert Reyes and Luna, 7/26)
Modern Healthcare: California To Mandate COVID Tests For Unvaccinated Public Workers
California state government will require their employees to show proof of full vaccination or submit to weekly COVID tests starting Aug. 2, per an announcement on Monday. The state is the first in the nation to set a standard requiring workers to get fully vaccinated or undergo COVID tests at least once a week. The requirement begins for state workers on Aug. 2. Healthcare workers and workers in jails, homeless shelters, and residential living facilities must comply with the standard by Aug. 9. Healthcare facilities have until Aug. 23 to start testing workers and verify their vaccination status. The policy requires unvaccinated workers to wear personal protective equipment while on the job. (Gellman, 7/26)
AP: California, NYC To Workers: Get Vaccine Or Face Weekly Tests
California and New York City announced Monday that they would require all government employees to get the coronavirus vaccine or face weekly COVID-19 testing, and the Department of Veterans Affairs became the first major federal agency to require health care workers to receive the shot. Meanwhile, in a possible sign that increasingly dire health warnings are getting through to more Americans, vaccination rates began to creep up again, offering hope that the nation could yet break free of the coronavirus if people who have been reluctant to receive the shot are finally inoculated. (Marcelo, 7/26)
Axios: NYC To Require COVID Vaccination Or Weekly Testing For City Workers
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday that all city workers will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine or else participate in weekly testing by Sept. 13. The announcement comes as COVID-19 cases have risen to more than 800 per day in the city, more than triple the daily average in June, the New York Times reports. (Frazier, 7/26)
But Portland, Oregon, says no to mandates —
The Oregonian: Portland Will Not Mandate Vaccinations Or Weekly COVID-19 Tests For City Workers
Portland officials said Monday the city will not require municipal workers to get vaccinated or submit to weekly coronavirus tests, hours after the largest state and city in the U.S. each imposed similar mandates. Instead, the city will continue to promote “evidence-based information campaigns” about the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine and encourage high-risk or unvaccinated workers to wear face coverings and take other safety precautions, said Heather Hafer, a spokeswoman for the Office of Management and Finance. (Kavanaugh, 7/26)
