US govt seeks Supreme Court approval to implement vaccine mandate for healthcare workers

Joe Biden's government urged the US Supreme Court on December 16, to enable it to implement vaccine mandate on healthcare workers all over the country, AP reported. After lower courts blocked the implementation in a dozen predominantly Republican-led states, the Biden-led US administration moved to Supreme Court.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rule has been in legal limbo for weeks after some states successfully filed injunctions, claiming that CMS exceeded its power.

The regulation, which applies to workers at federally financed healthcare institutions, was slated to go into effect on December 6. Workers had until January 4 to get completely immunised, or use limited exemptions. Earlier this week, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit determined that the requirement may go on in nearly half of the country, saying that 24 states that challenged it were not subject to the regulation.

US Department of Justice urges Supreme Court to overturn two injunctions on the mandate

The Department of Justice urged the Supreme Court on Thursday to overturn two injunctions on the mandate imposed by Federal District Courts in the western district of Louisiana and the eastern district of Missouri. The Department of Justice contended that mandatory vaccinations was required since the country had more over 800,000 deaths from COVID-19, with 1,300 people dying per day. The advent of the highly transmissible Omicron strain was also mentioned by the department.

The administration has claimed that Medicare and Medicaid patients in insured facilities are among the most vulnerable to coronavirus, insisting that they need to be protected by their healthcare professionals.

The Biden-led administration's filing to the Supreme Court, read, "It is difficult to imagine a more paradigmatic health and safety condition than a requirement that workers at hospitals, nursing homes, and other medical facilities take the step that most effectively prevents transmission of a deadly virus to vulnerable patients."

On September 9, President Joe Biden announced the requirement as a part of a dramatic expansion of the administration's quest to raise immunisation rates, as it redoubled efforts to combat COVID. The regulation is expected to affect more than 50,000 health facilities and 17 million workers, according to officials.

The states, primarily run by Republicans, argued that the mandate was unconstitutional and would exacerbate healthcare staffing shortages, particularly in rural regions.

(With inputs from AP)

Image: AP