California, New York City and New York State are first in requiring that government workers get vaccinated for COVID-19 or else submit to weekly testing. New York City announced in early August its “Key to NYC Pass,” requiring proof of vaccination for access to most indoor activities like including restaurants, gyms, restaurants. It went into effect on September 13th.
Some hospitals and long-term care facilities are implementing mandates following a joint statement from 100 medical and nursing groups urging compulsory vaccinations.
When schools of higher education return in the fall, nearly 600 colleges and universities will require students to get the jab. Corporate businesses such as Uber, Facebook, Google, Netflix and Delta Air Lines have mandated vaccinations for workers.
Now that the FDA has approved the first vaccine, developed by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech, the Pentagon has moved forward with mandatory vaccination for troops across all armed services.
That will certainly make those who are weary of the shot uncomfortable.
BREAKING: Pentagon will now mandate all troops be vaccinated against Covid-19, following the FDA's full approval of the Pfizer shot, says @PentagonPresSec
— Lara Seligman (@laraseligman) August 23, 2021
The Pentagon’s press secretary has just confirmed that – as expected – the DoD will now require all troops across the armed services to get the vaccine.
Troops who refuse the vaccine could face “disciplinary” measures, including being dragged in front of a military tribunal that would mete out punishment. Commanders have several options for dealing with troops who refuse mandatory COVID-19 vaccines including issuing them a letter of reprimand or taking other administrative action; using nonjudicial punishment to push them to get vaccinated; referring troops to an administrative separation board for failure to obey an order, or even referring service members to courts-martial, which has already happened in the past when some troops refused to get vaccinated for Anthrax.
“We have every expectation that once the vaccines are made mandatory the troops are going to do the right thing,” Kirby told reporters at a Pentagon news conference a few weeks ago. “But, without speaking to the future, it’s treated, certainly, like any lawful order, and there could be administrative and disciplinary repercussions for failing to obey that order.”
The DoD also make sure that service members who have reservations about getting a COVID-19 vaccine are “properly counseled” about the risks to their personal health and their unit’s readiness that could arise from them refusing the jab, and that commanders have a “range of tools” to pressure troops to comply.
“Commanders have a range of tools, short of using the UCMJ [Uniform Code of Military Justice] available to them to try to help individuals make the right decisions,” Kirby added.
Similar mandates are expected in the private sector as well, with companies like Wal-Mart, along with thousands of smaller businesses, expected to require proof of vaccination for all workers.
* * *
Roughly 8 months after the Pfizer-BioNTech jab was first approved for public use after receiving an unprecedented emergency authorization, the jab has officially become the first to receive full approval by the FDA on Monday, the Washington Post reports.
The news, which was telegraphed days in advance, sent shares of Pfizer and BioNTech surging shortly after the open on Monday.
As the mainstream media immediately pointed out, the approval might prompt some skeptical adults to take the vaccine, while giving businesses the last piece of ammunition they needed to require workers to get the jab, or be fired. According to the CDC, 204MM Pfizer jabs (which will henceforth be known as Comirnaty, the official brand name of the jab) have been doled out since the emergency authorization was first handed down last December.
The vaccine is officially approved for Americans over the age of 16, while the emergency authorization remains in effect for patients between 12 and 15. Notably, the FDA is requiring Pfizer to conduct more research on the risks of myocarditis and pericarditis and other potential side effects. Pfizer will also develop a registry to help monitor outcomes for infants after vaccinated women give birth.
CNBC reports that a survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation found 3 in 10 unvaccinated adults said they would be more likely to get vaccinated if one of the vaccines receives full approval. Full approval is “more psychological than anything else,” said Dr. Paul Offit, a voting member of the agency’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee. “I mean you already have more than 320MM doses administered. The vaccines already have an enormous safety and efficacy profile.”
“The FDA will do what it thinks it needs to do to make sure that the American public is safe,” he said.
Initially, full authorization was expected to arrive in September, but the Biden Administration has ramped up the pressure in recent days. Full approval opens the door to several activities that were barred under the emergency authorization: Pfizer can now advertise the jab, and it can now continue to vaccinate people even after the COVID “emergency” is deemed over. Pfizer can also now raise the price of the vaccine. They have already raised the price of the jab in the EU.
Pfizer and BioNTech have both said they intend to generate billions of dollars in revenues (and likely profits) from sales of the jab.
As vaccine proponents celebrate the news, Alex Berenson, a prominent skeptic, has a question: how can a vaccine be fully approved when we don’t even know the optimal number of doses?
Hey @us_fda – before you approve the @pfizer vaccine today, I have one simple question: How many doses is the regimen? Two, three, TBD?
How can you approve a "vaccine" – which by its very name is supposed to have a FIXED-DOSE REGIMEN – if you can't even answer that question?
— Alex Berenson (@AlexBerenson) August 23, 2021
Source: ZeroHedge
Image: Jocelyn Augustino, FEMA
