Category: Covid-19 Vaccine

FILE PHOTO: Professor Gottfried Kremsner injects a vaccination against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from German biotechnology company CureVac to a volunteer at the start of a clinical test series at his tropical institute of the university clinic in Tuebingen, Germany, June 22, 2020. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File Photo

BERLIN (Reuters) - German biotechnology firm Curevac expects to be able to produce the COVID-19 vaccine it is developing at scale by the end of the year, investor Dietmar Hopp told the Handelsblatt business daily on Friday.

We want to make 100 million doses available by the end of the year, said billionaire Hopp, one of the founders of software company SAP.

He said he expected regulatory approval in spring or summer of 2021, although limited clearance could come this year to vaccinate people doing jobs that put them at risk of catching COVID-19 or regions with high rates of infection.

Curevac is likely to be beaten to market by U.S. rival Moderna and Germanys Biontech.

We cant win this race, Hopp said. But we want to win the race to produce the best vaccine and here we have good chances.

The Tuebingen-based startup, valued at $10 billion after floating last month on Nasdaq, is one of a number of firms developing vaccines based on molecules carrying a genetic code called messenger RNA (mRNA) to treat diseases.

Hopp said Curevac may also expand its cooperation with Grohmann, a subsidiary of Elon Musks electric car maker Tesla, in developing so-called RNA printers that would make it possible to decentralise vaccine production.

Musk was in Germany this week and visited Curevac, sparking speculation that he may invest in the company. Hopp earlier dismissed this as pure fantasy.

Reporting by Douglas Busvine; editing by Jason Neely

Here is the original post:

Curevac COVID-19 vaccine scale production seen this year: investor - Reuters

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday would not say whether he would be vaccinated against COVID-19 when a vaccine becomes available. His comments came during a news conference at which he also announced that the Education Department will provide information on COVID-19 cases in public schools.

Public health departments are being told to prepare to distribute COVID-19 vaccines as early as Nov. 1, and Lee said the state is working to develop a distribution plan.

But the Republican also called a decision to vaccinate a personal choice and said he would do what he would want all Tennesseans to do.

Ill determine if I believe it is safe and effective and talk to my doctor, Lee said.

Tennessee Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey said at the news conference that the Nov. 1 date should be taken as a loose timeframe for when some of the first doses might be available. Piercey said she expects a phased rollout of the vaccine and has heard there may be two different vaccines distributed.

With regard to COVID-19 cases in the public schools, Lee had initially said the state would not collect that data but he soon reversed course and said his administration was asking for federal guidance about what could be disclosed without violating student privacy laws.

Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn announced the plan on Thursday, saying the Department has developed a dashboard on its website where citizens can find information about COVID-19 cases in the public schools.

The dashboard will go live on Tuesday and will provide information about new COVID-19 cases in students and staff at both the district level and the individual school level. New cases numbers will be uploaded by the close of business on Monday for the previous week.

In order not to violate student privacy, schools with fewer than 50 students will not be included on the dashboard, Schwinn said. Schools reporting fewer than five positive student or employee cases will be listed as having active cases but without specific numbers.

Also at the Thursday news conference, Health Commissioner Piercey said the department has made a change to how it counts active cases. Instead of assuming that cases are active for 21 days, the department is switching to a 14-day limit.

Because of the change, every county will show a drop in active case numbers and an increase in the number of inactive cases, Piercey said. The change rolled out Thursday afternoon. In addition, 1,700 cases that had been assigned to the wrong counties were reassigned. About two dozen counties will see their numbers rise or fall because of that change, Piercey said.

Meanwhile, Lee confirmed that he will seek a second term in office, saying he loves the job and plans to keep it as long as Tennesseans want him.

While most people who contract the coronavirus recover after suffering only mild to moderate symptoms, it can be deadly for older people and those with existing health problems.

Original post:

Governor wont say whether he would get COVID-19 vaccination - WJHL-TV News Channel 11

Why do I have to complete a CAPTCHA?

Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to the web property.

If you are on a personal connection, like at home, you can run an anti-virus scan on your device to make sure it is not infected with malware.

If you are at an office or shared network, you can ask the network administrator to run a scan across the network looking for misconfigured or infected devices.

Another way to prevent getting this page in the future is to use Privacy Pass. You may need to download version 2.0 now from the Firefox Add-ons Store.

See original here:

Pink Sheet Podcast: COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Plan And Approval Concerns, Gene Therapy Coaching :: Pink - Pink Sheet

The large-scale global distribution of vaccines against COVID-19 is not expected until mid-2021, the World Health Organizations (WHO) chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan told a press briefing on Friday.

So realistically speaking, probably the second half, the middle of 2021 - maybe the second quarter, the third quarter of 2021 - is when we can start seeing doses actually flowing into countries so that they can start to immunize their populations, Swaminathan said

This timeline is based on the fact that Phase 3 trials of many candidate vaccines are not expected to be concluded until the end of the current year, the WHOs chief scientist added.

We expect results from some of the candidates, which are already in Phase 3 trials, to come by the end of the year or beginning of next year, following which theyll have to be scaling [up] manufacturing to produce the hundreds of millions of doses that are going to be needed. In fact, the world is going to need billions of doses, and that is going to take time to manufacture. So we have to be optimistic and realistic at the same time, Swaminathan commented.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)

Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter

Go here to read the rest:

Coronavirus: WHO expects COVID-19 vaccine distribution to start globally only in mid-2021 - Hindustan Times

Lee esta historia en espaol.

As phase 3 trials for a potential COVID-19 vaccine get underway this month, some are sounding the alarm that the process could be rushed.

Austinite Abby Strite is one of thousands of people across the country taking part in the trials. She said she was selected by the biotech company Moderna to participate a couple weeks ago.

[Moderna staff] walked me through some quick screening questions," she said. "I sort of immediately qualified."

Strite was told she'd get two vaccines: The first on Sept. 16, the second 28 days later.

Everything was laid out to her. The entire trial was expected to take 25 months. In between and after the vaccines, shed be interviewed. She'd have to fill out checkup information on an app.

But a week ago, Strite received another call. She said a scheduler, who sounded frantic," asked to move up her appointment for the first vaccine.

I thought it was odd, she said. And my concern is if we are rushing the vaccines, those who are administering the vaccines are going to be working in really rushed and pressure-cooker-type situations to get everyone their vaccines on time, which could produce errors.

Moderna did not reply to a request for comment.

Strite said shes not worried about her own health; she's worried about the efficacy of rushed trials, as well as the overall public health consequences.

And theres reason to worry, Congressman Lloyd Doggett said.

We know that President Trump and Vice President Pence have announced that we will have a vaccine by year end maybe even by Election Day, the Austin Democrat said. All of that puts a good bit of pressure to rush.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently began reaching out to local public health officials telling them to prepare for a vaccineas early as late October.

Doggett said hes worried the Trump administration is setting up an arbitrary deadline for political reasons. He is also concerned members of Congress still dont have enough information about how the vaccine trials will work.

I have made numerous inquiries about this, he said. And no, we are not getting all the information we need nor is the select subcommittee on the coronavirus crisis. The administration, as in so many areas, is doing all it can to secret the information.

Doggett said he has been asking the administration for the agreements reached with the pharmaceutical companies involved in the trials. He said many of the trials are being paid for largely with taxpayer money. Taxpayers are paying for 100% of the research and manufacturing for the Modern trials, he said.

In the absence of that information, Doggett said hes forced to rely on stories from people like Strite, which he said he was grateful to hear.

Beyond that, we will continue asking questions, requesting witnesses to come forward, he said, particularly if we have some October surprise here to be sure its real.

Throughout the 25-month trial, Strite said, she plans to keep a watchful eye on what is being communicated to the public and how that compares to what she actually sees in the trial.

I am trying to make sure that people are being skeptical or critical about the results that they are presented with by potentially our own president, she said. They may not be as final or optimistic or just baked as they may be presented.

Got a tip? Email Ashley Lopez at alopez@kut.org. Follow her on Twitter @AshLopezRadio.

If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support it. Your gift pays for everything you find on KUT.org. Thanks for donating today.

Read more here:

This Austinite Is Part Of The COVID-19 Vaccine Trials. She's Worried The Process Is Being Rushed. - KUT

Successfully rolling out a coronavirus vaccine by Nov. 1 will rely on clinical trials conducted at unprecedented speed, coupled with public release of research that shows it is both safe and effective, experts say.

Reaction to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's letter to states to prepare for "large-scale" distribution of the vaccine in November specifically, two days before the presidential election triggered swift concern that political pressure could override commitments to safety.

"I want to see the data," said Dr. Carlos del Rio, executive associate dean of the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. "I need to show that there is true efficacy and safety."

Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

Having a vaccine ready for potential distribution to select groups of high-risk people or front-line health care workers by November will rely on phase 3 clinical trials that started enrolling human volunteers in July.

It's possible that the Data and Safety Monitoring Board, which is run by the National Institutes of Health, could stop the trials early if it's determined that the vaccine works, said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "It's rare, but it does happen," he said.

Doctors will insist on seeing the full data and will demand that the information come from those in the scientific community.

"I want the physician scientists and not the political leadership to make these decisions," said Dr. Steven Nissen, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic.

"If it's made from the Oval Office," Nissen said, "there's going to be a lot of skepticism."

The necessary large-scale clinical trials needed to show that a vaccine works are underway, with tens of thousands of volunteers in the United States. Drug manufacturers have committed to produce millions of doses of their vaccines before they even know whether they work.

Let our news meet your inbox. The news and stories that matters, delivered weekday mornings.

To show that a vaccine is effective, clinical trials need people who have been infected with the coronavirus. Not thousands of people just 150.

"When you get that many infections, you will know whether the vaccine works or does not work," Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, told NBC News on Thursday.

Vaccine manufacturers have a goal of enrolling at least 30,000 study participants, some of whom would get the vaccine and others of whom would get a placebo. But it takes only 150 of those people to become infected for researchers to learn whether the shot offers some protection.

"If you have 100 infections in the placebo group and 50 in the vaccinated group, that would suggest that the effectiveness of the vaccine is 50 percent," said Dr. Walter Orenstein, associate director of the Emory Vaccine Center and a professor of infectious diseases at Emory University School of Medicine.

The Food and Drug Administration has said an effective vaccine needs to protect only 50 percent of people to be considered effective.

At least one of the leading vaccine candidates could be on target to have such data before Nov. 1.

On Thursday, Pfizer's chief operating officer, Albert Bourla, said the company could have results from its phase 3 trial as early as next month.

"By the end of October, we should be able to have enough events to say if the product works," Bourla said during a meeting with the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations, a trade group. "Events," in this case, refers to infections.

Download the NBC News app for full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

Fauci said he "would not be overly surprised" if a vaccine were announced this fall.

"The projection would be that by the end of November or December of this calendar year that we would have an answer whether or not we have a safe and effective vaccine that's approvable," Fauci said.

"Is it possible that it could be before then? The answer is yes. I think it's unlikely, but I think it's possible," he added.

Logging just 150 infections to determine efficacy is unlikely to prove the safety of a vaccine, experts say, which is why continued scientific scrutiny is key. One of the reasons phase 3 clinical trials usually enroll many thousands of people is to tease out those rare adverse events.

"We need to have good, ongoing surveillance to determine whether there are safety problems," Orenstein said. "It's extremely important to have good follow-up."

New vaccines must be rigorously tested to ensure safety. The consequences of not so doing can be devastating: In the 1970s, the U.S. pushed hard for quick work on a flu vaccine, which was later linked to hundreds of cases of Guillain-Barr syndrome, a type of paralysis.

Beyond any evidence of efficacy, trials must answer questions about how a vaccine works in certain populations.

Both the FDA and the CDC have monitoring services to track how people react to vaccines after they've been approved for use.

"It's always a matter of weighing risk versus benefits," Offit said. "There is no such thing as absolute safety when it comes to medicine."

Follow NBC HEALTH on Twitter & Facebook.

Read the original here:

COVID-19 vaccine by Nov. 1: Scientists call for full release of data before distribution - NBC News

Your body might produce antibodies to battle the novel coronavirus for four months and fade away slowly thereafter, which raises new hopes for the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a new study.

The new research published in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at more than 30,500 COVID-19 patients in Iceland.

This new research means there is hope that host immunity to this unpredictable and highly contagious virus may not be fleeting and may be similar to that elicited by most other viral infections, the researchers wrote in an editorial on the study.

Infections and vaccines generate two waves of antibodies: The first wave is generated by early short-lived plasma cells, poised to populate the systemic circulation, but this wave subsides rapidly after resolution of acute infection, wrote researchers Galit Alter and Robert Seder in the editorial.

Researchers admitted two hiccups more research needs to be done to confirm this happens. And its unclear if the antibodies really prevent reinfection or not, according to the New York Post.

Original post:

Coronavirus antibodies might last 4 months. Will it help COVID-19 vaccine? - Deseret News

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed that it has informed public health officials in all 50 states and several large cities to be prepared to distribute a coronavirus vaccine by November 1, two days before the presidential election.

The McClatchy news service was the first to report Wednesday that the CDC had sent out a four-page memo on August 27 for health departments to draft vaccination plans by October 1to coincide with the earliest possible release of COVID-19 vaccine.

The New York Timessays the memo from Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the CDC, was also sent to public health officials in all U.S. territories, as well as New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston and San Antonio.

The CDC memo said health care professionals, employees of long-term care facilities and other essential workers, plus national security employees, should receive initial priority for a possible new vaccine.

The Timessaid the CDC also gave priority to Americans 65 years old or older, people from racial and ethnic minority populations, Native Americans and incarcerated individuals.

Dr. Redfield also urged health officials to quickly approve permit applications from McKesson Corp., the firm that has contracted with the CDC to distribute vaccines to sites including state and local health departments and hospitals, and if necessary.consider waiving requirements that would prevent these facilities from becoming fully operational by November 1, 2020.

Fauci's take on potential vaccine

News of the CDC memo coincided with remarks made Wednesday by Dr. Anthony Fauci, thedirector of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who said that he is confident there will be a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the year.

However Faucialso said in an interview last week with Reuters news agency that"the one thing that you would not want to see with a vaccine is getting an[emergency approval of a vaccine]before you have a signal of efficacy."

"One of the potential dangers if you prematurely let a vaccine out is that it would make it difficult, if not impossible, for the other vaccines to enroll people in their trial," he said.

Otherhealth experts havealsoexpressedskepticismaboutrolling outa vaccine before the completion of clinical trials, saying hasteningits distributionto the publiccould pose safety risksanddeepen anti-vaccination sentiments.

Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can download this video to view it offline.

Safety checks

Patricia Zettler, a former Food and Drug Administration associate chief counsel told the Washington Post this week, I think its extremely critical we have rigorous evidence of safety and effectiveness supporting a vaccine before the FDA gives its okay. Zettler is currently a law professor at Ohio State University.

Somestatehealth departmentssaythey lack the staff, money and tools to educate people about vaccines and then to distribute, administer and track hundreds of millions of doses, according to the Associated Press.

There is a tremendous amount of work to be done to be prepared for this vaccination program, and it will not be complete by Nov. 1, Dr. Kelly Moore, associate director of immunization education at the Immunization Action Coalition, a national vaccine education and advocacy organization in Minnesota, told the AP. States will need more financial resources than they have now.

Only half of Americans trust vaccine

A recent poll from AP-NOR Center for Public Affairs Research found that only about half of Americans said they would get vaccinated.

The United States leads the world with 6.1 million total COVID-19 cases and 863,445 deaths. A surge of new cases across the countryis attributed tocollege students taking part in large off-campus parties as they return toschoolfor the start of the academic year, ignoring guidelines to wear face masks and observe social distancing. The latest outbreak is at the University of South Carolina in Charleston, where more than 1,000 students tested positive for COVID-19 in August, bringing the positivity rate to nearly 28 percent.

The university has placed nine fraternity and sorority houses under a 14-day quarantine after some students tested positive. The school has also suspended 15 students for throwing off-campus parties. Hundreds of students were also spotted crammed together at a large pool party off-campus that the local fire chief described as almost like Mardi Gras, a reference to the large and boisterous street celebrations held before the Christian season of Lent.

COVID death linked to South Dakota rally

Meanwhile, a resident of the northern state of Minnesota is believed to be the first person to have died of the coronavirus after attending a huge motorcycle rally in the neighboring state of South Dakota last month.

Health officials in Minnesota say the man was in his 60s and had underlying health conditions. He was one of hundreds of motorcycle enthusiasts who converged on the small town of Sturgis for 10 days, many of them also refusing to wear face masks or observe social distancing.

At least 260 new COVID-19 infections in 11 states have been tied directly to the event, according to the Washington Post.

Read more here:

US States Told to Prepare to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine by Nov. 1 - Voice of America

Gov. Chris Sununu said Thursday the state would be ready to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine if it's ready as soon as Nov. 1, but he personally thinks a vaccine won't be available until later.>> Download the FREE WMUR appThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has told public health officials around the country to prepare to distribute a potential coronavirus vaccine as early as late October, although most health experts believe a safe and effective vaccine would not be ready that soon.>> Latest coronavirus coverage from WMURSununu said he believes the advisory was made to ensure that states would be ready for a vaccine whenever it's ready. He said he believes it's more likely that a vaccine won't be ready until the end of the year or earlier next year at the earliest."If it comes early November, we will be ready," Sununu said. "I more anticipate it being some time around the Christmas time frame, early next year, something like that. We just don't know.">> COVID-19 in New Hampshire: Important informationThe governor said a lot of questions remain about how a vaccine would be distributed. There is no vaccine yet, and there's no indication how many doses would be immediately available. He said it's likely the vaccine would have to be prioritized to vulnerable populations."I think some of the bigger questions we're all waiting to see will be how much will be available, how fast," Sununu said. "We're already looking at assuming we might have to prioritize if they don't give us 1.35 million sets of the vaccine on day one."Health Commissioner Lori Shibinette said New Hampshire has been planning how to handle a vaccine since June. She said the state has undertaken other vaccination programs in the past, though nothing as large-scale as a COVID-19 vaccination effort would be.Shibinette said that once a vaccine is available, the state would likely distribute it to public clinics and directly to health care providers and long-term care facilities. She said a nursing home might be sent enough doses to vaccinate its own residents and staff members."I think it's probably going to take more than three months to get through that full process of who we're vaccinating first and getting the first phase done and getting to the second phase," she said. "It is not vaccinating 1.3 million people in 30 days. This is going to take multiple months to complete."The CDC advisory raised concerns that the Trump administration is trying to make an announcement about a vaccine before Election Day for political reasons. Sununu said he doesn't believe vaccine development is being politicized, and experts have noted that pandemic planning exercises have included recommendations that a distribution network be prepared while scientists work on a vaccine.** Town-by-town COVID-19 case data: Interactive map | Text-only list **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

Gov. Chris Sununu said Thursday the state would be ready to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine if it's ready as soon as Nov. 1, but he personally thinks a vaccine won't be available until later.

>> Download the FREE WMUR app

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has told public health officials around the country to prepare to distribute a potential coronavirus vaccine as early as late October, although most health experts believe a safe and effective vaccine would not be ready that soon.

>> Latest coronavirus coverage from WMUR

Sununu said he believes the advisory was made to ensure that states would be ready for a vaccine whenever it's ready. He said he believes it's more likely that a vaccine won't be ready until the end of the year or earlier next year at the earliest.

"If it comes early November, we will be ready," Sununu said. "I more anticipate it being some time around the Christmas time frame, early next year, something like that. We just don't know."

>> COVID-19 in New Hampshire: Important information

The governor said a lot of questions remain about how a vaccine would be distributed. There is no vaccine yet, and there's no indication how many doses would be immediately available. He said it's likely the vaccine would have to be prioritized to vulnerable populations.

"I think some of the bigger questions we're all waiting to see will be how much will be available, how fast," Sununu said. "We're already looking at assuming we might have to prioritize if they don't give us 1.35 million sets of the vaccine on day one."

Health Commissioner Lori Shibinette said New Hampshire has been planning how to handle a vaccine since June. She said the state has undertaken other vaccination programs in the past, though nothing as large-scale as a COVID-19 vaccination effort would be.

Shibinette said that once a vaccine is available, the state would likely distribute it to public clinics and directly to health care providers and long-term care facilities. She said a nursing home might be sent enough doses to vaccinate its own residents and staff members.

"I think it's probably going to take more than three months to get through that full process of who we're vaccinating first and getting the first phase done and getting to the second phase," she said. "It is not vaccinating 1.3 million people in 30 days. This is going to take multiple months to complete."

The CDC advisory raised concerns that the Trump administration is trying to make an announcement about a vaccine before Election Day for political reasons. Sununu said he doesn't believe vaccine development is being politicized, and experts have noted that pandemic planning exercises have included recommendations that a distribution network be prepared while scientists work on a vaccine.

** Town-by-town COVID-19 case data: Interactive map | Text-only list **

See the original post here:

Governor says NH would be ready if COVID-19 vaccine ready as early as Nov. 1 - WMUR Manchester

The COVID-19 vaccine may become available before the end of the year a long awaited milestone in the coronavirus pandemic for some, and a source of worry for others.

More than a third of Americans, 35%, said they wouldnt get a free U.S. government-approved vaccine if it were ready today, according to a recent Gallup survey.

Previous polls found many people who were reluctant to get immunized worried about the safety of a vaccine thats being developed with unprecedented speed.

But lots of people opting out would delay herd immunity, so some officials support compulsory immunizations. Australias prime minister last month suggested the vaccine would be mandatory in his country, but later backtracked on those comments.

In Virginia, the health commissioner said he planned on mandating the vaccine, but a spokeswoman for the states governor later said there were no plans to do so, local media reported.

So can the federal government require Americans to get the shot?

A key member of the White House coronavirus task force assured it wont happen. Dr. Anthony Fauci said he would definitely not support a nationwide mandate of the COVID-19 vaccine.

You don't want to mandate and try and force anyone to take the vaccine. We've never done that. You can mandate for certain groups of people like health workers, but for the general population you cannot, Fauci said last month.

We don't want to be mandating from the federal government to the general population. It would be unenforceable and not appropriate.

Its a different story for orders issued by states, cities or businesses, but even then, mandatory vaccination wouldnt be forced vaccination.

Nobody's talking about coming to your house, holding you down and vaccinating you, Dorit Reiss, a law professor at the University of California Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, told TODAY.

Refusing to follow a mandate could mean a fine, tax or other penalty, said Reiss, who studies legal and policy issues related to vaccines.

Heres what to know about the COVID-19 vaccine and U.S. law:

Trending stories,celebrity news and all the best of TODAY.

Almost certainly not, Reiss said. It has limited powers expressly spelled out in the Constitution; the rest belong to the states.

But the federal government has some ways to get people to vaccinate, imposing it as a condition of getting a passport, for example.

That hasnt happened before, but such a requirement would be within the federal governments powers, Reiss noted.

States have the authority to regulate public health and they have in the past mandated vaccines. The classic case in this area of law, Jacobson v. Massachusetts in 1905, was decided by the Supreme Court after a smallpox outbreak.

Cities have powers, too: In 2019, New York City required people living in four ZIP codes in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to get the measles vaccine, prove they've already had it or face a $1,000 fine.

But any vaccine mandates must reasonable, proportional and enforced in a nondiscriminatory fashion, Reiss said. She expected COVID-19 hot spots would make the vaccine a requirement for its residents.

Yes, health workers are the classic example. Hospitals often require some staff to get a flu or hepatitis B vaccine.

Universities may mandate students, faculty and staff to be immunized for certain diseases before coming on campus. Schools may have the same requirements for children.

Yes, with some exceptions.

It's perfectly legitimate for an employer to regulate to make the workplace safer, Reiss said. They can certainly fire you if you don't want to follow health and safety rules.

Employees who are part of a union may be exempt from the vaccine requirement.

Anti-discrimination laws also provide some limits. If you cant get the vaccine for medical reasons, that could be a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, which would require an employer to accommodate you. That could mean requiring you to wear a mask on the job or have limited contact with other people, Reiss said.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 may protect people who have a religious objection to a vaccine. An employer would have to make a reasonable accommodation as long as its not too costly for the business.

These laws apply only to companies with 15 or more employees, so smaller businesses are exempt.

We think about employers as this huge, amorphous thing, but under the law, theyre also private entities with rights, especially if it's a small mom and pop shop, Reiss noted.

Yes, within the anti-discrimination laws mentioned above.

They can decide to refuse service to you for pretty much any reason, Reiss said, pointing out a policy most shoppers are already familiar with: no shirt, no shoes, no service.

People who are covered by anti-discrimination laws cant just demand a business let them do whatever they want. The company just has to give you a reasonable accommodation, so a store might refuse you entry but offer curbside pick-up of groceries.

Given the backlash against wearing masks, Reiss suspected many businesses wont have a vaccine mandate because it's difficult to enforce.

There are people who don't like mandates, period, and they won't like this either, Reiss said.

I expect there are also going to be a lot of workers who are grateful that their employer is trying to make the place safer for themselves and others.

See the article here:

Will the COVID-19 vaccine be mandatory? - TODAY