US plan mandates shots for millions of unvaxxed

WASHINGTON: In his most forceful pandemic actions and words, President Joe Biden ordered sweeping new federal vaccine requirements for as many as 100 million Americans — privatesector 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 Thursday, 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.

The rules mandate that all employers with more than 100 workers require them to be vaccinated or test weekly, affecting about 80 million Americans. The roughly 17 million workers at health facilities that receive federal Medicare also will have to be fully vaccinated.

WASHINGTON: In his most forceful action so far on the Covid-19 pandemic, US President Joe Biden on Thursday ordered sweeping federal vaccine requirements for as many as 100 million Americans - private-sector employees as well as health care workers and federal contractors - in an all-out effort to curb the surging Delta variant.

Speaking at the White House, Biden sharply criticised the millions of Americans who are not yet vaccinated.

“We’ve been patient. But our patience is wearing thin, and your refusal has cost all of us,” he said. The unvaccinated “can cause a lot of damage, and they are”.

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.

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.

Children aged 12 or over who attend public schools in Los Angeles will have to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by the start of next year, city education chiefs said on Thursday, the first such requirement by a major education board in the US.

Meanwhile, Denmark’s high vaccination rate has enabled the Scandinavian country to become one of the first European Union nations to lift all domestic coronavirus restrictions.

The return to normalcy has been gradual, but as of Friday, the digital pass - a proof of having been vaccinated - is no longer required when entering night clubs, making it the last virus safeguard to fall.