by Jeff Mason, David Shepardson and Ahmed Aboulenein
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – US President Joe Biden on Thursday announced new measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, requiring most federal employees to be vaccinated and urging large employers to vaccinate their employees or asking them to undergo weekly tests.
The new measures, which Joe Biden detailed from the White House, would apply to about two-thirds of U.S. employees working in companies with more than 100 people.
“We have been patient,” said Joe Biden, addressing the millions of Americans who refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19. “But our patience has limits, your refusal has cost us all.”
Taken together, these new policies and Joe Biden’s speech are the most aggressive steps the president has taken to get Americans vaccinated, as contaminations, including the Delta variant, continue to climb in some areas.
Just over 53% of Americans have received a full immunization schedule, including nearly 66% of the adult population, according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
On Thursday, the US president warned: “We are facing a difficult time, and it could last for some time.”
According to the new measures, more than 17 million healthcare workers will need to be vaccinated, officials of the Biden administration said.
The new vaccination requirements affect about 100 million workers, or nearly two-thirds of all workers in the United States, they added.
These new measures are however likely to be the subject of legal challenges, some Republicans having immediately denounced them.
The Republican National Committee has said it intends to sue the Biden administration over vaccination measures.
(with Steve Holland, Trevor Hunnicutt and Susan Heavey, written by Jeff Mason, Steve Holland and Trevor Hunnicutt; French version Camille Raynaud)
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