WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - America's businesses, campuses and many other institutions are stepping up on vaccination requirements in the wake of a resurgence of the COVID pandemic, driven by the Delta variant.
In addition, the Biden administration announced plans to incorporate vaccinations into sports physicals, and provide schools and colleges with additional resources for pop-up vaccine clinics on campus.
Thursday, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM), and ten other sports and medicine organizations have issued a statement urging all medical providers to ask about COVID-19 vaccine status during sports physicals, and where available to also administer the COVID-19 vaccine. Both AAP and AMSSM have issued updated guidance for physicians incorporating COVID-19 vaccination into sports physical protocols, and AAP has issued revised forms for doctors, parents, and student athletes to use to document their pre-participation examination including language on COVID-19 vaccination.
The AAP estimates that approximately 60 to 70 percent of children and adolescents participate in organized sports across the country.
At a press briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team Thursday, COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients explained intensive measures that the Biden administration has taken to increase vaccination among more communities in the country.
'For the fourth week in a row, we have increased the daily average number of Americans newly vaccinated, and importantly, we're seeing the most significant increases in states with the highest case rates,' Zients said.
'Over the past 24 hours, we've recorded 864,000 vaccinations - the highest in a day since July 3rd - and, importantly, 585,000 first shots - that's the highest since July 1,' he told reporters.
Zients noted that a recent study shows half of America's small businesses are likely to require their employees to be vaccinated.
Saffron, a family-owned business in New Orleans, said its staff is 100 percent vaccinated and they are requiring vaccinations or a negative test for all their customers. Tuesday was Saffron's first night of service under their new rules, and the owner said the community response has been overwhelmingly positive.
Nearly 650 colleges and universities are already requiring on-campus employees and students to be vaccinated. Leaders of America's historically Black medical schools decided to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for all of their medical students.
Nationwide, more than 100 hospital and healthcare systems, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, are requiring vaccinations for their healthcare workers. This week, more than 30 healthcare employers, including Kaiser Permanente - one of the country's largest - announced vaccination requirements for their healthcare workers, Zients said.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2021 AFX News
