The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will require more than 25,000 members of its healthcare workforce to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Staff at the Indian Health Service (IHS) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) who serve in federally-operated healthcare and clinical research facilities and interact with, or have the potential to come into contact with patients, will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
This includes employees, contractors, trainees and volunteers whose duties put them in contact or potential contact with patients at an HHS medical or clinical research facility.
Additionally, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy will immediately require members of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as part of medical readiness procedures to prepare for any potential deployment need as emergency responders.
“Our number one goal is the health and safety of the American public, including our federal workforce. And vaccines are the best tool we have to protect people from COVID-19, prevent the spread of the Delta variant and save lives,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “As President Biden has said, we have to do all we can to increase vaccinations to keep more people safe. Instructing our HHS health care workforce to get vaccinated will protect our federal workers and the patients and people they serve.”
IHS, NIH and the Commissioned Corps already require such personnel to receive the seasonal influenza vaccine and other routine vaccinations, with processes for medical and religious exemptions, and all agencies would implement this new COVID-19 vaccination requirement using the same processes that are already in place for these other vaccines.
