Health Care Vaccine Mandate Remains as Some Push for an End

By David A. Lieb and Kavish Harjai

Around 750 nursing homes and 110 hospitals across the United States were cited for violating federal staff vaccination rules during the past year, according to an analysis of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) data by the Associated Press. Although the health care vaccination mandate is slated to remain in effect until November 2024, some argue that fewer severe COVID-19 cases, health care staffing shortages, and the upcoming expiration of the national public health emergency on May 11 mean the mandate should end sooner. "The requirement for staff to be fully vaccinated has been a critical step in responding to the pandemic" and "has saved Americans from countless infections, hospitalizations, and death," said CMS. However, over half of nursing homes nationwide have had to limit resident admissions due to staffing shortages, according to the American Health Care Association. Further, nursing home employment fell 13% last year even as most other health care sectors saw staffing rebound.

Read more on the Associated Press.