Biden's "Get Vaccinated or Fired" Policy... Over 90% of US Federal Employees Vaccinated

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] More than 9 out of 10 U.S. federal government employees have received at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine amid President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate drive.

On the 22nd (local time), the White House told major foreign media that 90% of the 3.5 million federal government employees have received at least one dose. Including those exempted or granted extensions for health or religious reasons, the compliance rate with the vaccine mandate reaches 95%.

A Biden administration official told CNN, "The compliance rate among federal government employees is higher than expected."

This day was set by President Biden as the vaccination deadline for all federal government employees. On September 9, he signed an executive order requiring all federal employees to be vaccinated within 75 days.

Unvaccinated employees may be dismissed. Unvaccinated federal employees receive education and counseling for five days before facing up to 14 days of suspension. The official said, "If they remain unvaccinated during the suspension period, they may be terminated."

The Biden administration will announce agency-specific compliance rates on the 24th. As of this date, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lead with 99%. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stand at 98%, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at 93%.

The vaccination rate among federal employees is more than 20 percentage points higher than the first-dose vaccination rate (69%) among adults aged 18 and over. Since President Biden also mandated vaccination for private companies with over 100 employees by January 4 next year, attention is focused on whether the vaccine mandate drive will raise the overall national vaccination rate.

However, the federal court that blocked the vaccine mandate dismissed the federal government's appeal and upheld its previous decision, causing setbacks to the Biden administration's plan. Since the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandated vaccination for private companies on the 4th, at least 27 states have filed objections with six federal appellate courts.