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The Federal Vaccine Mandate — Politics, Healthcare and First Responders

A group of teenagers serving as 'Covid-19 Student Ambassadors' joined Governor Gretchen Whitmer to receive a dose of the Pfizer Covid vaccine at Ford Field.
A group of teenagers serving as 'Covid-19 Student Ambassadors' joined Governor Gretchen Whitmer to receive a dose of the Pfizer Covid vaccine at Ford Field.

Thousands of federal civil servants are required to be vaccinated following Monday’s deadline. President Biden’s Executive Order will require millions of other Americans that work for companies with hundred employees or more to be vaccinated by January 4th or undergo mandatory testing.  

However, there have been dozens of lawsuits filed against the federal government over the mandate. A federal circuit court blocked the Occupational Safety and Health Administration from enforcing the vaccine mandate for the time being.

The issue is now being debated again in the courts, with the American Medical Association testifying Monday that a delay in the mandate could, “do irreparable harm to the public.”

We look at the federal vaccine mandate and hear first hand why some first responders remain hesitant to get their shots.   

Copyright 2021 WAMU 88.5