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Jul 26, 2021 / 02:23 PM CDT
Registered nurse Morgan James loads a syringe with a dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at the Blood Bank of Alaska in Anchorage on March 19, 2021. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON (AP) The Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday became the first major federal agency to require health care workers to get COVID-19 vaccines, as the aggressive delta variant spreads and some communities report troubling increases in hospitalizations among unvaccinated people.
The VA’s move came on a day when nearly 60 leading medical and health care organizations issued a call for health care facilities to require their workers to get vaccinated.
The scrambling to buy new clothing and school supplies has begun. The shelves of brick-and-mortar retailers are stocked and online retailers are already touting their cost advantages and ease of ordering on TV and social media.
When any school year begins, there is often excitement about seeing friends again, meeting new teachers and sharing summer break stories. However, each new school year brings colds, coughs, the flu and other illnesses.
As well, the new school year also brings with it opportunities to address concerns of vision and hearing, which too often impede our children’s ability to successfully learn.
While I have not heard too much yet, COVID-19 and the delta variant will be a concern for our children in general, but in particularly those children under the age of 12 who have not yet been able to be vaccinated. Like it or not, we must have a continued emphasis on keeping students safe and protected from exposure to COVID-19.
V.A. Now Requires Vaccination For Health Care Workers
The Department of Veterans Affairs has become the first major federal agency to require health care workers to get COVID-19 vaccines.
RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR
WASHINGTON (AP) The Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday became the first major federal agency to require health care workers to get COVID-19 vaccines, as the aggressive delta variant spreads across the nation and some communities report troubling increases in hospitalizations among unvaccinated people.
The VA’s move came on a day when nearly 60 leading medical and health care organizations issued a call for health care facilities to require their workers to get vaccinated. No federal law stands in the way of employers requiring vaccinations, but like mask mandates, the issue has been politicized in a society that’s divided on matters of public health.
1:04 P.M. EDT
MS. PSAKI: Hi, everyone. Happy Monday. Okay. Today, I wanted to start by providing a brief note on where we are with our battle against the pandemic at home.
First, taking a step back: In December, the percentage of Americans willing to get a shot was in the 30s. We now have 70 percent of adult almost 70 percent, I should say, of adult Americans who have been vaccinated. That is a positive step forward, and it is an encouraging sign to us that we can still get more people vaccinated.
Where we are today signals we’ve made pretty incredible progress with our vaccination effort. Sixty percent of adult Americans are fully vaccinated, including 80 percent of seniors. Nearly 90 percent of teachers have gotten a shot. Ninety-five percent-plus of physicians have been fully vaccinated.