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There’s a new stage in the pandemic: Young children are eligible for Covid-19 vaccines, and the majority of American workers are being told to get them.
These are steps toward getting out of the pandemic, which has now claimed more than 750,000 American lives. Average daily deaths have fallen to just over 1,000.
One subtext of this week’s election is that Americans are tired of Covid-19 restrictions in schools and elsewhere, concerned about pandemic-related supply chain issues and scared of inflation.
Now, with nearly everyone eligible for a vaccine that is readily available and many being told to get it, patience with other protective measures and grace for those who ignore the science will wear thinner – even as fights over the vaccine continue to erupt.
Long-awaited requirement for most American workers is here. The federal requirement, if it isn’t stopped by courts, requires workers to be fully vaccinated by January 4.
It affects the majority of American workers, specifically:
- Private businesses with 100 or more employees.
- Health care workers at facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid.
- Federal contractors.
How many workers is that?
The requirement would apply to 84 million workers at large employers and 17 million health care workers, according to the rules from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Pushing the requirement to the new year is meant to avoid further stressing businesses dealing with labor shortages and supply chain issues heading into the holidays.
Do workers have to get vaccinated?
It depends. Health care workers must get the vaccine to comply with the rules. Employees at large companies do not. But if they don’t, they must provide weekly negative Covid-19 tests and wear masks indoors.
What about states that have outlawed vaccine requirements?
The federal government argues OSHA’s rule preempts state laws. This will likely be the subject of a battle in the courts.
A Biden administration official quoted in CNN’s report by Jason Hoffman cited emergency authority in the law that created OSHA, which gives the agency “authority to act quickly in an emergency where the agency finds that workers are projected to a grave danger and a new standard is necessary to protect them.”
RELATED: Fact check: Are Biden’s vaccine mandates ‘unlawful’?
How will the rules be enforced?
That’s less clear. Hoffman talked to an administration official who mentioned inspections of some workplaces but also said the government will rely on complaints from workers.
What’s the penalty for noncompliance?
OSHA rule violations can include fines of up to nearly $14,000 per violation.
Vaccine deception: “Yeah, I’m immunized.” Except he wasn’t. You know who can afford $14,000? Aaron Rodgers.
It’s been confusing to watch professional athletes try to explain their immunization status. I was critical of Kyrie Irving in this space for suggesting he was sticking up for those who have no voice by avoiding the shot and sitting out the NBA season for now.
But at least Irving owned up to it. And he’s owning it with a one-man vaccine requirement protest.
Rodgers, who should know how to answer questions after his turn hosting “Jeopardy!,” slithered around the issue by saying he was “immunized.” Whatever that meant to Rodgers – details are sketchy – it did not mean he had received the vaccine, according to multiple reports that a positive Covid-19 test and lack of vaccination have benched the quarterback.
Go for it, Jordan Love. The backup quarterback, whose signing irked the golden boy in 2020, now gets a start because Rodgers wouldn’t get the shot.
This is fuel for the argument in favor of vaccine requirements. Very smart and motivated people don’t want to get vaccinated despite all the evidence that it is safe for them and helps everyone else. The rest of us don’t have backup quarterbacks or league protocols. Hopefully we all aren’t out there deceiving people about our vaccination status either.
Kids are getting vaccines! A new universe of 28 million Americans is now cleared to get a Covid-19 vaccine after the government gave the green light to a smaller dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for emergency use. There’s now a crush of people snagging appointments at pharmacies and public health departments. To find the ones near you, head to the government’s vaccines.gov portal.
RELATED: How to get a Covid vaccine appointment for your child
In my neighborhood, there are plenty of appointments available within a week. My kids are going on Saturday. Federal workers can take paid leave for appointments.
But most parents won’t get their young kids vaccinated immediately, according to an October Kaiser Family Foundation survey:
- 27% said they would vaccinate immediately.
- 33% said they would wait and see.
- 5% said they would get their children vaccinated only if required to do so.
- 30% said they would definitely not get their children vaccinated.
How misinformation spreads. There’s a viral fear that the vaccine affects fertility, although there’s no evidence to support it.
In January, 3% of adults surveyed by the Kaiser Family Foundation cited fears of infertility with regard to Covid-19 vaccines. In October, it was 66% who said they worried the vaccine could affect a child’s future fertility.
American medical groups, doctors and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have all shot the claim down. Millions of people have been vaccinated, and it hasn’t affected fertility or puberty. CNN published a fact check this week explaining how the rumor got started, how this mimics unfounded rumors about previous vaccines – which explains why it spread – and, sadly, why it’s impossible to stamp out.
Kids are less likely than adults to develop serious cases of Covid-19 that require hospitalization. But these cases do occur. Plus, vaccinating them will cut down on the spread of the disease.