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- Biden Administration Requires COVID-19 Vaccination for Health Care Workers and Employees
Health care workers and large companies must require COVID-19 vaccinations for their workers or regular testing by January 4, 2022, under new federal regulatory requirements. The CAP has supported vaccine requirements for health care workers and encouraged Americans to get be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
The administration published the regulations on November 4 requiring eligible health care staff at health care facilities to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Facilities covered by the regulation must establish a policy ensuring all eligible staff have received the first dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine or a one-dose COVID-19 vaccine before providing any care, treatment, or other services by December 5, 2021. All eligible staff must have received the necessary shots to be fully vaccinated – either two doses of Pfizer or Moderna or one dose of Johnson & Johnson – by January 4, 2022. The regulation also provides exemptions based on recognized medical conditions or religious beliefs, observances, or practices. Nursing home staff are already required to be vaccinated.
In addition, private companies with 100 or more employees must enforce a COVID-19 vaccination policy for their workers or undergo other mitigation measures to stop the spread of the disease, according to an emergency temporary standard published on November 4 by the US Department of Labor. This regulation is expected to affect 84 million workers.
In August, the CAP joined the Cancer Leadership Council in support of requirements for health care professionals to be immunized against COVID-19 to protect cancer patients, who may be immunocompromised individuals, including those receiving chemotherapy.