Coronavirus vaccine mandates have become more commonplace with the support of big governments and the private sector, suggesting the list of employers willing to make shots compulsory will continue to grow.
The Department of Veterans Affairs will be the first federal agency to make vaccinations mandatory for all its healthcare employees who work directly with patients, such as doctors, dentists, nurses, and physician assistants. VA Secretary Denis McDonough made the announcement Monday, marking a departure from the Biden administration’s resistance to imposing a vaccine mandate.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS CALL FOR COVID-19 VACCINE MANDATE FOR HEALTHCARE WORKERS
“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 said Monday.
An uptick in new COVID-19 infections tied to the highly contagious delta variant, primarily in unvaccinated people, has caused concern among federal officials who argue the pandemic will not truly end until the majority has gained immunity through either a vaccine or recovery from the disease.
The VA cited widespread support from healthcare trade groups such as the American Medical Association, Society of Hospital Medicine, and the American Nursing Association, which banded together to endorse vaccine mandates in the field earlier Monday.
“This is the logical fulfillment of the ethical commitment of all health care workers to put patients as well as residents of long-term care facilities first and take all steps necessary to ensure their health and well-being,” the groups said in a joint statement.
The VA’s move reflected a growing willingness in the private and public sectors to make the vaccines mandatory for employees, especially those in the healthcare workforce. It also comes just two days after White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters the administration maintains it is “not the role of the federal government [to mandate shots] … that is the role that institutions, private-sector entities, and others may take.”
Meanwhile, state governments can set mandates for public sector employees, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom did as much on Monday. The state will require all government employees and healthcare workers to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or be tested at least weekly. While care providers will have until Aug. 23 to get the shots if they so choose, state workers will have until Aug. 2 to comply.
“We are now dealing with a pandemic of the unvaccinated, and it’s going to take renewed efforts to protect Californians from the dangerous delta variant,” Newsom said.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio introduced a similar policy on Monday for city employees. They will be required to submit proof of vaccination or agree to be tested weekly, but the rule will not go into effect until after Labor Day.
To date, 69% of adults have received at least one dose of a vaccine, while 60% have been fully vaccinated, according to federal tracking. Meanwhile, nearly 90% of seniors, who were prioritized for the shots because of their heightened risk of getting severely ill, have received at least one dose, and roughly 80% have been fully vaccinated.
