Health Care Roundup: COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates for Medical Workers, Review of FDA Drug Approval Process & More

CA Vaccination-or-Test Requirement to Apply to Private-Sector Healthcare Workers:

Under a new rule taking effect in California next month, an estimated 246,000 state employees and at least 2 million public- and private-sector health care workers and long-term care workers will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or be subject to weekly COVID-19 testing.

The vaccination-or-test requirement comes a little over a month before a recall election for California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), prompted largely by his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. But although 62 percent of the state’s eligible population has been fully vaccinated, progress toward boosting that rate has slowed recently, while the Delta variant has driven up infections and hospitalizations.

Jeffrey Klausner, MD, a professor of population and public health sciences at the University of Southern California, said the new rule will give a push to both employers who’ve been reluctant to impose vaccine mandates and unvaccinated workers.

“If the vaccine is required, there’s going to be a lot more people who are going to get vaccinated,” he said. “They’re not necessarily against vaccination — they haven’t felt the motivation, and they’re not concerned about getting infected.”

But if it’s required by their employer, he added, “many have said, ‘Yes, I will get vaccinated, I’m not going to risk my job,’” he said. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

NH Hospitals to Mandate COVID-19 Vaccinations for Employees:

New Hampshire hospitals will begin requiring employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, officials there said last week. The New Hampshire Hospital Association said it supported that decision by its 30 member hospitals, which is part of a growing trend.

“Many regional and national organizations representing medical professionals have recently stated their support for mandated COVID-19 vaccines for healthcare workers to control the spread of this deadly disease, especially within healthcare facilities,” Steve Ahnen, the association’s president said in a statement. “This is absolutely something we support in an effort to protect both our patients and our employees from COVID-19.” (ASSOCIATED PRESS, KAISER HEALTH NEWS)

NJ Requiring COVID-19 Vaccinations for Healthcare Workers:

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) announced last week that all workers at hospitals, long-term care centers, and some other state and private healthcare facilities will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to weekly testing. Those facilities will have to comply with the requirement by Sept. 7. (NJ.COM)

Federal Watchdog to Review Alzheimer’s Drug Approval:

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General will review the accelerated approval pathway the Food and Drug Administration used to approve Biogen’s Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm. The FDA’s approval of that drug has generated significant controversy. (STAT)

RI Short of Opioid Overdose Drug Narcan:

Rhode Island is facing a shortage of injectable naloxone, a lifesaving treatment for opioid overdoses sold under the brand name Narcan. Pfizer has acknowledged that it has had manufacturing issues with that form of the drug, isn’t likely to ship any more of it until fall and may not return to full production until early 2022. (BOSTON GLOBE)

U.S. at Bottom of High-Income Nation Healthcare Rankings Again:

The United States ranked last among 11 high-income nations in health care access, administrative efficiency, equity and outcomes, according to a new report from the Commonwealth Fund. The United States has been at the bottom of the rankings in all seven of the studies conducted by the Commonwealth Fund since 2004. (CNN HEALTH)