May 2, 2023
The End of An Era: Biden Set To Lift Most Federal COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates
With the national public health emergency for the coronavirus ending next week, rumor has it a certain group will no longer have to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
CNBC reports the Biden administration will be ending COVID-19 vaccine mandates for federal employees, contractors, and international air travelers on May 11. While this may be the end of a traumatic time and hospitalizations declining drastically, the virus still kills more than 1,000 people weekly.
The White House released a statement highlighting the importance of vaccines but noted the country is in a different phase. “While vaccination remains one of the most important tools in advancing the health and safety of employees and promoting the efficiency of workplaces, we are now in a different phase of our response when these measures are no longer necessary,” the statement read.
Next will be Head Start educators, healthcare workers, and noncitizens located at U.S. land borders, according to the Associated Press. The Health and Human Services Department is beginning the process of lifting shot requirements. “While I believe that these vaccine mandates had a tremendously beneficial impact, we are now at a point where we think that it makes a lot of sense to pull these requirements down,” White House COVID-19 Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said.
Some federal institutes like the National Institutes of Health, Indian Health Service, and Department of Veterans Affairs will continue to leave their vaccine mandates in place. Those agencies implemented their requirements for healthcare staff and others independent of the White House.
Many will praise the Biden administration for loosening vaccine mandates as they faced opposition and lawsuits claiming the requirement was a “reach,” including athletes like Kyrie Irving. It was reported that Irving protested against receiving the shot after the NBA mandated it for players. However, the White House stressed how the vaccine has been essential for saving lives and protecting public health.
Over 81% of the American population have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.