A member of the U.S. Armed Forces injects Pfizer vaccine at the FEMA Community Vaccination Center in Philadelphia.
- The policy will apply to approximately 25,000 employees of the Ministry of Health and Human Services.
- The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Pentagon also introduced vaccine missions.
- Coronavirus infections have soared to more than 100,000 per day.
The U.S. health department said on Thursday that it will require all public-facing health care workers to be vaccinated against Covid-19 due to a surge in hospitalization due to the Delta variant of the new coronavirus.
The policy will apply to approximately 25,000 Department of Health and Human Services employees who may be in contact with patients-slightly less than a third of its total workforce.
“Our primary goal is the health and safety of the American public, including our federal workers. Vaccines are our best tool to protect people from Covid-19, prevent the spread of Delta variants, and save lives,” HHS Secretary of State Xavier Becerra said in a statement.
After the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Pentagon issued similar ordinances in recent weeks, HHS is the third federal agency to introduce vaccine authorizations.
President Joe Biden announced in July that all federal employees must prove that they have been vaccinated, otherwise they will face strict restrictions, such as regular testing.
The latest announcement also applies to health care and researchers from the Indian Health Service and the National Institutes of Health, as well as contractors and volunteers who come into contact with patients.
Read also | Australian capital Canberra enters virus lockdown
The Covid-19 vaccine is free and widely available in the United States, but only half of the population is fully vaccinated.
Driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, coronavirus infections have soared to an average of more than 100,000 per day, which is the highest level since the surge in winter.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average daily hospitalization for the week ending August 3 was 7,707, an increase of 40% in just one week.
“As President Biden said, we must do everything we can to increase vaccination to ensure the safety of more people,” Becerra added.
“Guiding our HHS healthcare staff to vaccinate will protect our federal workers and the patients and people they serve.”
According to US media reports, the requirement is expected to take effect at the end of September.
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