30.8 F
New York
Monday, February 10, 2025
Home Politics President Joe Biden Announces Sweeping Coronavirus Vaccine Mandate Covering Nearly 100 Million...

President Joe Biden Announces Sweeping Coronavirus Vaccine Mandate Covering Nearly 100 Million Americans

In his most forceful pandemic actions and words, President Joe Biden, on September 9 ordered sweeping new federal vaccine requirements for as many as 100 million American private-sector employees as well as health care workers and federal contractors in an all-out effort to curb the surging COVID-19 delta variant. Speaking at the White House, President Biden sharply criticized the tens of millions of Americans who are not yet vaccinated, despite months of availability and incentives. “We’ve been patient. But our patience is wearing thin, and your refusal has cost all of us,” he said, all but biting off his words. The unvaccinated minority “can cause a lot of damage, and they are.”

Overall, the immediate reaction to the Biden Administrations’ vaccine mandate proposal was mixed. Both Republican political leaders and private sector unions said that President Joe Biden was going too far in trying to muscle private companies and workers, a certain sign of legal challenges to come. Republican Governor Henry McMaster of South Carolina said in a statement that “Biden and the radical Democrats (have) thumbed their noses at the Constitution,” while American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley insisted that “changes like this should be negotiated with our bargaining units where appropriate.” On the other hand, there were strong words of praise for Biden’s efforts to get the nation vaccinated from the American Medical Association, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the Business Roundtable, though no direct mention of his mandate for private companies.

The expansive rules mandate that all employers with more than 100 workers require them to be vaccinated or test for the virus weekly, affecting about 80 million Americans. And the roughly 17 million workers at health facilities that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid also will have to be fully vaccinated. President Joe Biden is also requiring vaccination for employees of the executive branch and contractors who do business with the federal government, with no option to test out. That covers several million more workers. President Biden announced the new requirements in an address from the White House as part of a new “action plan” to address the latest rise in coronavirus cases and the stagnating pace of COVID-19 shots.

Just two months ago, President Joe Biden prematurely declared the nation’s “independence” from the virus. Now, despite more than 208 million Americans having at least one dose of the vaccines, the US is seeing about 300% more new COVID-19 infections a day, about two-and-a-half times more hospitalizations, and nearly twice the number of deaths compared to the same time last year. Some 80 million people remain unvaccinated. “We are in the tough stretch and it could last for a while,” President Biden said. After months of using promotions to drive the vaccination rate, Biden is taking a much firmer hand, as he blames people who have not yet received shots for the sharp rise in cases killing more than 1,000 people per day and imperiling a fragile economic rebound.

In addition to the vaccination requirements, Preisdent Biden moved to double federal fines for airline passengers who refuse to wear masks on flights or to maintain face-covering requirements on federal property in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. He announced that the government will work to increase the supply of virus tests, and that the White House has secured concessions from retailers including Walmart, Amazon, and Kroger to sell at-home testing kits at cost beginning this week. The administration is also sending additional federal support to assist schools in safely operating, including additional funding for testing. And Biden called for large entertainment venues and arenas to require vaccinations or proof of a negative test for entry. The requirement for large companies to mandate vaccinations or weekly testing for employees will be enacted through a forthcoming rule from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that carries penalties of $14,000 per violation, an administration official said. Biden’s order for executive branch workers and contractors includes exceptions for workers seeking religious or medical exemptions from vaccination, according to press secretary Jen Psaki. Federal workers who do not comply will be referred to their agencies’ human resources departments for counseling and discipline, including potential termination.

An AP-NORC poll conducted in August found 55% of Americans in favor of requiring government workers to be fully vaccinated, compared with 21% opposed. Similar majorities also backed vaccine mandates for health care workers, teachers working at K-12 schools, and workers who interact with the public, as at restaurants and stores. President Joe Biden has encouraged COVID-19 vaccine requirements in settings like schools, workplaces, and university campuses. On September 9, the Los Angeles Board of Education voted to require all students 12 and older to be fully vaccinated in the nation’s second-largest school district. Walmart, the nation’s largest private employer, said in late July it was requiring all workers at its headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, as well as its managers who travel within the US, to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by October 4. But the company had stopped short of requiring shots for its frontline workers. CVS Health said in late August it would require certain employees who interact with patients to be fully vaccinated by the end of October. That includes nurses, care managers, and pharmacists.

In the government, several federal agencies have previously announced vaccine requirements for much of their staff, particularly those in healthcare roles like the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Department of Defense moved last month to require all service members to get vaccinated. Combined, the White House estimates those requirements cover 2.5 million Americans. September 9ths order is expected to affect nearly 2 million more federal workers and potentially millions of contractors. President Joe Biden’s measures should help, but what is really needed is a change in mindset for many people, said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, vice dean at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. “There is an aspect to this now that has to do with our country being so divided,” said Sharfstein. “This has become so politicized that people can’t see the value of a vaccination that can save their lives. Our own divisions are preventing us from ending a pandemic.”

More than 177 million Americans are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, but confirmed cases have shot up in recent weeks to an average of about 140,000 per day with on average about 1,000 deaths, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of the spread, and the vast majority of severe illness and death, occurs among those not yet fully vaccinated. So-called breakthrough infections in vaccinated people occur at a rate of about 1 in 5,000, but tend to be far less dangerous and have only resulted in around 500 deaths. 

Matthew Rosehttp://ourpolitics.net
Matt studies and analyzes politics at all levels. He is the creator of OurPolitics.net, a scholarly resource exploring political trends, political theory, political economy, philosophy, and more. He hopes that his articles can encourage more people to gain knowledge about politics and understand the impact that public policy decisions have on their lives. Matt is also involved in the preservation of recorded sound through IASA International Bibliography of Discographies, and is an avid record collector.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Most Popular

OurWeek In Politics (January 1, 2025-January 8, 2025)

Here are the main events that occurred in Politics this week: 1. Mike Johnson Narrowly Re-Elected House Speaker

Iran’s Execution Rate Surges In 2024: UN Reports Record Numbers

Iran reportedly executed at least 901 people in 2024, the highest total recorded in nine years and a 6% increase from the...

Congress Certifies President-elect Trump’s 2024 Victory in Peaceful Transition

On January 6, 2025, a joint session of Congress certified President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 election, fulfilling a vital democratic...

Mike Johnson Narrowly Re-Elected House Speaker

On January 3, 2025, Congressman Mike Johnson narrowly secured reelection as House Speaker on the first ballot, overcoming resistance from hard-right Republican...

Recent Comments

[instagram-feed num=3 cols=3 showfollow=false]

© Matt Rose and Ourpolitics.Net, 2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Matt Rose or Respective Authors and Ourpolitics.net with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.