Under new vaccine mandate, US health workers face Jan 4 deadline

The Joe Biden administration on Thursday release a sweeping emergency rule, asking US health workers that government funding, to get fully vaccinated by January 4, 2022.

The rule applies to more than 17 million US workers at approximately 76,000 health care facilities, including hospitals and long-term care facilities.

"Today, the Biden Administration is announcing the details of two policies to fight COVID-19 that will drive even more progress and result in millions of Americans getting vaccinated, protecting workers, preventing hospitalization, saving lives, and strengthening the economy," the White House said in a statement.

"All covered employers must ensure that their employees have received the necessary shots to be fully vaccinated - either two doses of Pfizer or Moderna, or one dose of Johnson & Johnson - by January 4th 2022," it added.

A Biden administration official said the goal of the rule is to bring healthcare providers into compliance, not to punish them, so there will be numerous opportunities before a facility is penalized, The Hill reported.

"Termination would really only occur if, after providing a facility with an opportunity to make corrections and come into compliance, they chose not to do so," the official said.

( With inputs from ANI )

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