On Thursday, President Joe Biden announced a comprehensive new federal vaccine requirement in his most powerful pandemic actions and speeches, affecting as many as 100 million Americans, and doing his best to increase Coronavirus disease Get vaccinated and curb the surge of delta variants.
In his speech at the White House, Biden severely criticized the approximately 80 million Americans who have not been vaccinated, despite months of time and incentives.
“We have always been patient. But our patience is fading, and your refusal cost us all,” he said, almost cutting off his words. Minorities who have not been vaccinated “will cause a lot of harm, and they do.”
Extensive regulations require all employers with more than 100 employees to be vaccinated or tested for the virus every week, affecting approximately 80 million Americans. Approximately 17 million workers in medical institutions receiving Medicare or Medicaid must also be fully vaccinated.
Biden also signed an executive order requiring vaccinations for employees of the executive branch and contractors who do business with the federal government-without the option of testing. This covers millions of other workers.
In his White House speech on Thursday afternoon, Biden announced the new requirements as part of a new “action plan” to deal with the latest rise in coronavirus cases and the stagnant rate of COVID-19 injections, which has caused public concern about how it is handled. Suspected epidemic.
Just two months ago, Biden prematurely declared that the United States was “independent” from the virus. Now, although more than 208 million Americans have received at least one dose of the vaccine, the number of new COVID-19 infections in the United States has increased by about 300% every day, the number of hospitalizations has increased by about two and a half times, and the number of deaths has increased by nearly two times. Compared to the same period last year.
Speaking of the current pandemic situation, Biden said: “We are in a difficult period, which may last for some time.”
After months of promotional activities to increase the vaccination rate, Biden took a firmer stance, because his helpers blamed those who have not been vaccinated, causing more than 1,000 deaths a day and a sharp increase in cases that endanger the fragile economy. Rebound.
In addition to the vaccination requirements, Biden also imposes double federal fines on airline passengers who refuse to wear masks in flight or maintain mask requirements on federal property in accordance with CDC guidelines.
Biden announced that the federal government will work to increase the supply of virus testing. The White House has obtained concessions from retailers such as Wal-Mart, Amazon and Kroger to sell home testing kits at cost prices starting this week.
The government also provides additional federal support to help schools operate safely, including additional funding for testing. Biden will call on large entertainment venues and arenas to require vaccinations or provide negative test certificates to enter.
A government official said that large companies’ mandatory requirements for employees to be vaccinated or tested every week will be implemented through an upcoming regulation from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, with a fine of $14,000 for each violation. The White House did not immediately say when it will take effect, but said workers will have enough time to vaccinate.
The rule also requires large companies to provide paid leave for vaccination.
At the same time, the Medicare and Medicaid Services Center will extend the vaccination requirements for nursing home staff that were issued earlier this summer to other medical institutions, including hospitals, home health institutions, and dialysis centers.
In addition, the Ministry of Health and Human Services will require vaccination in schools run by the Enlightenment Program and the Ministry of Defense and the Indian Education Authority, affecting approximately 300,000 employees.
According to Psaki, Biden’s orders for executive branch workers and contractors include exceptions for workers seeking religious or medical exemptions for vaccinations. Federal workers and contractors will have 75 days for full vaccination. Workers who fail to comply will be referred to the human resources department of their organization for consultation and disciplinary action, including possible dismissal.
Speaking of the federal workforce, Psaki said, “We want to be a role model for other organizations and businesses across the country.”
A poll conducted by AP-NORC in August found that 55% of Americans supported the requirement that government workers be fully vaccinated, while 21% opposed it. A similar majority also supports vaccinations for health care workers, teachers working in K-12 schools, and workers who interact with the public (such as restaurants and shops).
Biden encourages the requirement for COVID-19 vaccines in schools, workplaces, and university campuses. The White House hopes that strengthened federal authorization will encourage more companies to follow suit. On Thursday, the Los Angeles Board of Education is expected to vote to require all students 12 years and older to be fully vaccinated in the second university district in the United States.
Wal-Mart, the largest private employer in the United States, said in late July that it requires all employees at its Bentonville, Arkansas, headquarters and managers traveling in the United States to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by October 4. But the company stopped asking its front-line staff to inject.
CVS Health said in late August that it would require certain employees who interact with patients to be fully vaccinated by the end of October. This includes nurses, nursing managers and pharmacists.
In the government, some federal agencies have previously announced vaccine requirements for most of their employees, especially those in health care departments such as the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Pentagon took action last month to require all service personnel to be vaccinated. The White House estimates that these requirements together cover 2.5 million Americans. The Thursday order is expected to affect nearly 2 million federal workers and millions of contractors.
Dr. Joshua Schaffstein, associate dean of the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, said Biden’s measures should help, but what is really needed is a change in the mindset of many people.
“There is one aspect that has to do with our country being so divided,” Schaffstein said. “This has become so politicized that people don’t see the value of life-saving vaccination. Our own differences are preventing us from ending the pandemic.”
The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union of federal employees, said that although it strongly encourages vaccination, workers should have a say in new tasks that affect them.
“In short, workers should express their opinions under their working conditions,” said National President Everett Kelley. “We hope to bargain on this change before implementation, and we urge all those who can get the vaccine to do so as soon as possible.”
Larry Cosme, president of the Association of Federal Law Enforcement Officers, called the authorization for federal workers “ill-conceived” and said, “Vaccinations should be promoted through education and encouragement, not coercion.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 177 million Americans have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, but confirmed cases have surged in recent weeks to an average of approximately 140,000 cases per day and an average of approximately 1,000 deaths.
Most transmission—and most serious illnesses and deaths—occur in people who have not yet been fully vaccinated. People who are vaccinated can develop so-called breakthrough infections, but the risk is often much lower.
Federal officials are advancing plans to begin booster injections of mRNA vaccines to strengthen protection against more easily transmitted delta variants. Last month, Biden announced that it plans to provide them from September 20, but by then, only Pfizer vaccines may receive regulatory approval for the third dose.
The officials’ goal is to give a booster injection about eight months after the second dose of the double-dose vaccine.
— Associated Press writers Anne D’Innocenzio, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Hannah Fingerhut contributed.
© 2021 Canadian Press
