Delta variant surge: 'I wish everyone was mandated to have the vaccine,' says Alabama doctor
Vaccine mandates are on the rise after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted full approval of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine and Moderna submitted for full federal approval of its vaccine, bringing to light an issue dividing the country as supporters say a mandate is for the common good while opponents call for medical freedom.
And as the number of COVID-19 cases climb nationwide, with the seven-day average topping 150,000 this week for the first time since January, health officials are pleading with the public to get vaccinated.
“I wish everyone was mandated to have the vaccine. It’s a political problem, particularly in the deep South,” Dr. David Thrasher, director of respiratory services at Jackson Hospital in Montgomery, Alabama, told Yahoo Finance. “I don’t want the government telling me what to do, but this is one for the common good.”
Public and private sector employers are mandating vaccines as the U.S. sees a surge in cases, driven largely by the highly contagious Delta variant. So far this week, Goldman Sachs, Chevron, and UPS are among several companies announcing vaccine mandates for employees. The Pentagon also said Monday that it is requiring all U.S. military service members to be fully vaccinated, while Disney World reached a deal to require workers at its Florida theme parks to be innocculated.
Hospitals are overwhelmed in states where vaccination rates are low, including Thrash’s home state of Alabama, as well as Mississippi, and Louisiana, as unvaccinated patients make up the majority of COVID-19 patients hospitalized.
U.S. COVID-19 hospitalizations have now surpassed 100,000 for the first time since January, with ICU beds at or near capacity in a number of states. In Alabama, hospitals are facing a severe shortage of ICU beds as the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations climbed to 2,845 as of Wednesday. The state currently has an ICU bed deficit of 54, according to the Alabama Hospital Association, and of those hospitalized, 85% were unvaccinated and 3% were partially vaccinated.
Alabama’s vaccination rate, although rising, remains among the lowest in the nation with about 48% of Alabama residents having received at least one dose. Nationwide, about 202 million people, or 61% of the total U.S. population, have received at least one shot.
‘Masks are not hurting anybody’
A surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations is also fueling renewed calls for mask mandates. A number of state and local officials have already sprung into action. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said on Tuesday that the state is restoring an indoor and outdoor statewide mask mandate. And last week, Los Angeles County enacted an outdoor mask mandate for large outdoor events of over 10,000 people.
On the other hand, a number of GOP governors are holding firm on orders banning mask mandates, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.
“It's a shame,” Thrasher said of governors who have politicized mask mandates. “Masks are not hurting anybody. They clearly help. How much flu did you see last year? None because the masks work. It's a shame it's become such a political issue.”
In Texas this week, a Dallas County judge ruled against Abbott’s order to ban mask mandates in the state and therefore allowing Dallas County to reinstate a mask mandate, the same day the governor reissued his ban on vaccine mandates regardless of federal approval status.
Seana Smith anchors Yahoo Finance Live’s 3-5 p.m. ET program. Follow her on Twitter @SeanaNSmith
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