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California to Mandate Vaccines and/or Testing for Teachers
California Gov. Gavin Newsom will announce Wednesday that teachers and other school employees must either be vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to regular testing.
Under a new order that Newsom will unveil Wednesday, California will become the first state in the nation to implement such a requirement, which will be effective in mid-October, sources told CNN.
The health order will closely mirror a similar mandate that all California healthcare workers become vaccinated.
Conflict of Interest: Reuters ‘Fact Checks’ COVID-Related Social Media Posts, But Fails to Disclose Ties to Pfizer, World Economic Forum
From the onset of the pandemic, social media giants, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, have flagged COVID-related posts the social media giants deem “false or misleading.”
That’s not news — most social media users are aware of the practice, especially amid recent headlines citing increased pressure from Congress and the White House to aggressively crack down on “vaccine misinformation.”
But here’s a less-publicized fact some social media users — and consumers of online news — may not know: Reuters, owned by the $40 billion international multimedia company, Thomson Reuters Corporation, is also in the business of “fact checking” social media posts.
Reuters publishes its fact-checking commentary online in a format designed to resemble new stories, which turn up in online searches.
Biden Meets With United Airlines CEO, Others on COVID Vaccine Efforts
President Joe Biden is meeting on Wednesday with the chief executives of United Airlines and Kaiser Permanente to find ways to boost U.S. COVID-19 vaccination rates, the White House said.
In addition to United Airlines’ Scott Kirby, the meeting includes Kaiser Permanente Chief Executive Gregory Adams, Howard University President Wayne Frederick and a South Carolina business owner who adopted a vaccinate-or-get-tested requirement for her workers, an administration official said.
Pentagon Releases Religious Exemption Guidelines for Bypassing Mandatory Vaccine
The Pentagon on Tuesday released guidelines for how service members could request a religious exemption in lieu of getting the coronavirus vaccine.
By mid-September, all active-duty forces in the military will be required to get shots in their arms to counter the coronavirus as cases continue to once again increase nationwide.
“There is a religious exemption possibility for any mandatory vaccine, and there’s a process that we go through to counsel the individual both from a medical and from a command perspective about using a religious exemption,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Tuesday.
American, Delta and Southwest Airlines Won’t Make Workers Get COVID Vax
Three of America’s most popular airlines — American, Delta, and Southwest — will not institute a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for their employees as the controversy over whether to require workers to get jabbed roils businesses across the country.
CNN reported Tuesday that Southwest CEO Gary Kelly wrote in an internal memo that he would “continue to strongly encourage” employees to get vaccinated, but would not make it a requirement.
“Obviously, I am very concerned about the latest Delta variant, and the effect on the health and safety of our employees and our operation, but nothing has changed,” Kelly wrote.
Governor Newsom’s ‘State of Emergency’ Challenged in California Supreme Court
Orange County Board of Education and Children’s Health Defense (CHD) on Tuesday filed a petition for writ of mandate in the California Supreme Court asking the court to declare an immediate end to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s declared state of emergency.
A writ of mandate is a court order to a government agency, including another court, to follow the law by correcting its prior actions or ceasing illegal acts.
“This petition is not about masks, vaccines or any other specific policy issue,” said Scott J. Street, attorney for the Orange County Board of Education.
Apple’s About-Face Just Opened the Surveillance Floodgates
In recent years, Apple has sought to brand itself as a strong defender of user privacy, boasting that it doesn’t need to monetize your personal data—since their business model is based on selling pricy hardware—and admirably fighting off government pressure to weaken or break strong encryption on its devices.
That’s why it’s so alarming to see the Cupertino‐based tech giant has decided that a shockingly misguided surveillance apparatus will soon be built right into the company’s widely‐ used operating systems.
Novartis, Pfizer and Gilead Roll Out COVID-19 Vaccination Rules as Delta Makes Case for Mandates
For many drugmakers, several of whom led the charge on the therapeutics and vaccines taking aim at the pandemic, vaccination requirements are becoming the norm. Meanwhile, a number of biotechs have been able to forego mandates altogether because their smaller size means their workforces are already fully vaccinated.
Over the past few days, Fierce Pharma asked a range of biopharmas big and small about their evolving vaccination policies. While some companies have already gone public with their plans, others are deliberating how to approach the issue. Here’s how several companies are handling it.
