Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Vaccine Rules That Cover 80M Workers Lead Biden's New Covid Strategies
NPR: Biden Lays Out Plan To Mandate Vaccines Or Testing For Millions Of Workers
President Biden on Thursday unveiled a series of steps to combat the newly surging pandemic, including the announcement of a forthcoming federal rule that all businesses with 100 or more employees have to ensure that every worker is either vaccinated for COVID-19 or submit to weekly testing for the coronavirus. "We're in a tough stretch, and it could last for a while," Biden conceded, as the delta variant of the coronavirus has caused cases, hospitalizations and deaths to rise across the country. But, he added: "We can and we will turn the tide on COVID-19." Speaking from the White House, Biden said the new emergency rule for private sector employers, which will be issued by the Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, would apply to 80 million workers. (Wise and Keith, 9/9)
The New York Times: Biden Mandates Vaccines For Workers, Saying, ‘Our Patience Is Wearing Thin’
Mr. Biden is acting through a combination of executive orders and new federal rules. Under his plan, private-sector businesses that have 100 or more employees will have to require vaccination, or mandatory weekly testing, after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration drafts a rule. Roughly 17 million health care workers employed by hospitals and other institutions that accept Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement will also face strict new vaccination requirements, as will federal contractors and most federal workers. (Rogers and Stolberg, 9/9)
Roll Call: Biden Announces Sweeping New Vaccine Requirements For Workers
One of Biden’s executive orders requires vaccinations against the coronavirus for most federal workers. The order goes further than a previous policy requiring federal workers to attest to their vaccination status or undergo regular testing. In the second executive order, the administration’s message is in effect that if a company wants to sell products or services to the federal government, they should get their workers vaccinated.(McIntire and Lesniewski, 9/9)
CNBC: Biden Pushes Vaccine Mandates Covering 100 Million U.S. Workers
President Joe Biden sternly outlined a broad plan Thursday to boost Covid-19 vaccination rates in the U.S. as cases plateau at dangerously high rates, pressuring private employers to immunize their workforce as well as mandating the shots for federal employees, contractors and health-care workers. The nation is reporting an average of 151,500 new cases per day, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, hovering around levels seen in late January. An average of 1,500 people are dying from Covid every day in the U.S., near fatality rates last seen in March when the U.S. was coming down from its winter surge, Hopkins data shows. (Lovelace Jr., Mendez and Towey, 9/9)
Key points of Biden's plan —
CNN: What Matters: Biden's Six-Step Covid Plan, Explained
The US Covid situation is as dire as ever, with 1,500 people dying each day -- an average of 150,000 new cases each day. With more than 100,000 hospitalized Americans, the number of deaths -- almost certainly an undercount -- will continue to rise above the 653,000 current total. It seems sure to eclipse the death total from the 1918 influenza pandemic and is far greater than every US conflict except the Civil War. President Joe Biden, outlining a new Covid strategy on Thursday, expressed near-anger at the unvaccinated. "We've been patient, but our patience is wearing thin, and your refusal has cost all of us," he said, before laying out new mandates and requirements for US citizens to get the virus under control. (Wolf, 9/10)
The New York Times: Biden’s Vaccine Push: What You Need To Know
Moving aggressively to combat the spread of the Delta variant, President Biden announced a six-part plan on Thursday that would touch on nearly every aspect of society, in what amounted to the most expansive use of his presidential authority since he took office in January. Here is what is in the plan. (Kavi, 9/9)
Also —
The Hill: Education Department Promises Support To Districts Penalized For COVID-19 Measures
The Department of Education is promising to support school districts that get penalized for their COVID-19 protocols, unveiling on Thursday a grant program to provide the districts funding. The agency on Thursday unveiled Project Supporting America's Families and Education (SAFE), which will provide funding for districts that had money withheld because they implemented measures such as universal indoor masking. (Williams, 9/9)
Bloomberg: Home Nurses Caring For Fragile Children Must Now Be Vaccinated
Parents of children with severe health conditions won a victory Thursday when President Joseph Biden required that in-home nurses be vaccinated against Covid-19. A plan Biden revealed to boost vaccine requirements across the U.S. includes home health workers among 17 million medical staff who must be inoculated, according to a White House summary. The order came less than a day after Bloomberg News reported that parents of children with conditions like cerebral palsy or severe epilepsy have had to choose between risking the virus or caring for children alone. They have forgone sleep and endangered their own mental health. (Edney, 9/9)
