President Joe Biden is urging more businesses to impose COVID-19 vaccination requirements now that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted full authorization to Pfizer’s vaccine.
During an event at the White House on Monday, Biden said, “I’ve imposed vaccination requirements that will reach millions of Americans. Today I’m calling on more companies in the private sector to step up with vaccine requirements that will reach millions more people.”
“If you’re a business leader, a non-profit leader, a state or local leader who has been waiting for full FDA approval to require vaccinations, I call on you now to do that, require it. Do what I did last month, require your employees to get vaccinated or face strict requirements,” he added.
Watch the video below:
.@POTUS: "Today I'm calling on more companies in the private sector to step up with vaccine requirements that will reach millions more people."
— CSPAN (@cspan) August 23, 2021
Full video: https://t.co/v5OXj7Ptn0 pic.twitter.com/yJv8bx6MQU
On Monday, the FDA granted full authorization to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, as IJR reported.
Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said in a statement, “The FDA’s approval of this vaccine is a milestone as we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“The public can be very confident that this vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product. While millions of people have already safely received COVID-19 vaccines, we recognize that for some, the FDA approval of a vaccine may now instill additional confidence to get vaccinated. Today’s milestone puts us one step closer to altering the course of this pandemic in the U.S.,” she added.
Also, on Monday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced that New York City is imposing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for public school teachers and staff without the ability for them to opt out. The new mandate will affect roughly 148,000 employees.
Earlier this month, de Blasio announced the city would implement vaccine mandates for patrons and employees of indoor dining, fitness, entertainment, and performance establishments.
