Category: Covid-19 Vaccine

The safety of the COVID-19 vaccines remains a top concern among those who are unvaccinated. Yet,researchersand medical doctorsat Penn State explain thatthe results of rigorously conducted clinical trials andcomprehensive safety monitoring afterwidespread vaccine uptake among the public suggests there islittleto fear, and they strongly encourage those who are on the fence to getvaccinated.

Theclinical trialsbehind the Food and Drug Administrations (FDAs)decision to grant emergency use authorization to the COVID-19vaccinesdemonstrate an excellent safety profileand since then,the vaccines have been given to millions and millions of people worldwidewith robust safety monitoring, said Catharine Paules, infectious diseases physician, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. I dont think any drugs have ever been scrutinized to the degree that these vaccines have. I feel very confident in their safety.

What about side effects?

Before granting emergency use authorizations to Pfizer and Moderna in December2020and Johnson & Johnson in February2021, the FDA monitored side effects in tens of thousands of clinical-trial patients for two months following administration of the vaccines.

We do see some mild side effects specificallyfatigue, muscle aches, headaches, and less commonly fevers from the vaccines, but more severe side effects such asanaphylaxisandmyocarditis, and blood clots with the J&J vaccine are extremely rare,said Leslie Parent, vice dean for research and graduate studies, Penn State College of Medicine. Importantly,the risksassociated withCOVID-19far outweigh these very, veryraresafety concerns.

Parent added that the likelihood of any additional side effects showing up is unlikely.

Any side effects from the vaccines would have shown up within a few months of monitoring, she said, and long-term health problems have not been reported in millions of people who have been vaccinated.

Meanwhile, the FDA is continuing to monitor the clinical trial patients who have now been vaccinated for about a year. In addition, the vaccines have been distributed to the public since December 2020.

If we were going to see any significant long-term concerns related to safety, said Parent, we would have seen them by now.

How cansomething developedsoquickly be safe?

All three vaccines Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have been thoroughly tested and found to be safe and effective.

Absolutely nosafetycorners were cut, Paules said. Indeed, she added, the COVID-19 vaccines were developed faster than any other vaccines in history, but that doesnt mean theyre unsafe.

Paules explains that the COVID-19 vaccines were able to be developed quickly because different stages of development and production, which normally occur one after the other, were carried out in tandem,and the scientific community was leveraged in an unprecedented way.

Each of the stagesof development were conducted rigorously, but priority funding, scientific collaboration,rapid data review andclinical trialvolunteers made it possible to do these thingsquickly, she said.

Isnt thevaccinetechnology new? Can I trust it?

Some people have cited the newness of the vaccine technologyas a concern, but it turns out the technology is not new at all.

In fact, said Paules, mRNA vaccines have been in development for decades. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic,bothPfizer-BioNTech and Modernahad been working on mRNA vaccines for influenza, and scientists had already conducted clinical trials of anmRNA vaccine for HIV.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine uses an adenovirus to deliver the instructions for building the coronaviruss spike protein. This technology is not new either; theZabdeno/Mvabea Ebola vaccine uses a similar strategy.

Should I wait forthe FDAtofully approve the vaccines?

No. Waiting is a mistake, said Parent.

People who decide to wait to get vaccinated are putting themselves and those around them at serious risk of COVID-19 and associated complications, she said. Now is an especially dangerous time to be unvaccinated given that the highly transmissible and potentially more dangerous Delta variant is now the dominant strain in the U.S. If you havent been vaccinated yet, dont wait any longer. These vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective the sooner you get vaccinated, the less likely new dangerous variants will arise, and the safer we all will be.

You can help by getting the vaccine and encouraging everyone ages 12+ to do so, as well. Penn State students, faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to get the COVID-19 vaccine and shouldupload their vaccination recordsas soon as possible. With this information, University officials will be able to better assess vaccination rates across Penn State and plan for the fall activities that we all love. The latest vaccination information is available on Penn States virus information website.

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Can I trust in the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines? | Penn State University - Penn State News

Ethan Overbaugh, who is immunocompromised, poses for a photo outside of his home in Layton on Thursday. Overbaugh has been quarantined for a year and a half as he's undergone leukemia treatments, and he can't get the COVID-19 vaccine until he is off anti-rejection medication for a bone marrow transplant.' (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)

LAYTON Following his doctor's orders, Ethan Overbaugh started strictly quarantining in January 2020. A year and a half later, he is still in quarantine. Overbaugh is one of a small percentage of people who are so severely immunocompromised that they are not encouraged to get the vaccine yet.

The former Utah Valley University esports president was diagnosed with leukemia almost two years ago exactly. He started undergoing intense chemotherapy, which involves taking medication that kills off the cancerous cells in the body as well as the cells that are responsible for creating antibodies. Because he has no immune system while undergoing treatment, when his doctor heard about the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China, he instructed Overbaugh to quarantine long before any lockdowns occurred in the United States.

He essentially shifted his whole life online, only leaving the house to go to the hospital for chemo treatments, during which he would wear an N95 mask for hours at a time. He passes the time gaming, talking to his friends on Discord while they work, playing virtual Dungeons & Dragons and trying to heal from his recent bone marrow transplant.

In March, it seemed like everyone joined him the world was alone together. He saw friends and celebrities and public figures and companies all encouraging people to stay home, saying that society could get through quarantine and a global pandemic by working together.

Well, at least for a little while. But when the world moved on and reopened, people like Overbaugh got left behind, he said.

Even though vaccines are available, he won't able to get one for another month. The anti-rejection medication he is on so his body won't reject his bone marrow transplant keeps his body from producing T and B cells, which are needed to create antibodies. If he received the vaccine right now, it would not be effective.

As companies, schools and countries discuss vaccination requirements, mandates and passports, people who either cannot receive the vaccine or for whom the vaccine likely won't work as well have been the topic of many conversations both in Utah and nationally. Many critics of vaccination requirements argue that such policies would negatively impact people who medically cannot get the vaccine, some going so far as to say that it's discrimination.

However, Dr. Hannah Imlay, assistant professor of infectious diseases at the University of Utah, stated that the best way to help people who cannot medically receive the vaccination is to ensure they are surrounded by people who are vaccinated and masking up even indoors and in nonpublic spaces when you will still be around other people.

As an infectious disease doctor, Imlay mostly works with patients who have received live organ and bone marrow transplants, and the topic is one that is "near and dear to my heart," she said.

"One strong way to protect the immunocompromised, children and even immunocompromised children is to get vaccinated and wear a mask," she said. "Vaccines work on a community level. We tend to think of them as protecting ourselves, but it works better if we say, 'I get vaccinated so I can protect my family who are vulnerable. I have a young child who cannot yet be vaccinated, and the only way I can protect him other than having him mask in public is to be vaccinated.' The people with healthy immune systems need to exercise the privilege of that immune response to protect vulnerable people."

She also said that the number of people who medically cannot get the vaccine is incredibly small. There is a minimal percentage of people who have had a severe allergic reaction to a vaccine in the past who may not to be able to get the vaccine.

"There's not a heck of a lot else that would preclude you from getting the COVID vaccines, and even the majority of those cases can still be safely vaccinated," she continued.

She explained that there are different "hues" and levels of immunosuppression. For instance, people's immune systems don't work as efficiently as they get older, so they might get sick more often, but the vaccine will be effective in them. Pregnant women have a decreased immune response. And some immunodeficiencies aren't caused by medication and aren't likely to get better by waiting, but these are very rare, and "it's best to go ahead and get it because it might work," she said.

In fact, Imlay herself is pregnant and got vaccinated while pregnant. As a doctor, she recommends other pregnant people do the same. Although no pregnant women were enrolled in any clinical trials during the development of the vaccines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration have been monitoring pregnant women who have received the vaccines, and the results have been good news, she said. It appears the vaccine works well in pregnant women and looks very safe for the baby.

"From an infectious disease perspective, being pregnant and not getting the vaccine can lead to heartbreaking decisions that they and their medical teams have to make about the baby's health and safety," she added.

Even immunocompromised people can safely be vaccinated; and if they are on medication like the kind Overbaugh is on, "the vaccine can't hurt them, it just might not be effective," she said.

Overbaugh was told to wait six months after his bone marrow transplant to get the COVID-19 vaccine, so he has one month left until he can be off his anti-rejection medication so his immune system can be strong enough for the vaccine to actually be effective. But he is extremely tired of having people like him used as a reason to not require vaccination.

"It is incredibly, incredibly frustrating. I don't want to be used as a symbol for anti-vaxxers. I don't think it's discrimination. I don't want to be toted around like, 'This is the reason we can't do it.' There are medical exemptions for people like me, and it's a different story than someone who just doesn't want to get it," Overbaugh said. "They haven't asked us, they haven't talked to us about it and are using us for their cause."

He has a similar frustration with people who refuse to wear masks without a medical exemption.

"I've had to wear N95s any time I go to the hospital, sometimes for 10 hours at a time, and you don't see me complaining about wearing mask," he said.

Even when Overbaugh gets the vaccine, it might not be as effective as it would be in someone who has a solid immune system. He will have to continue to wear a mask for a year after his vaccination in order to protect himself from COVID-19 and other illnesses and diseases. And because the vaccination rates are so low and the infection rate with the delta variant of the virus is so high, people like him still cannot leave the house safely.

"You may say that I should just stay home, but I've been at home for a year and a half. I've been doing what I'm supposed to. I just want to make a plea: I want to be able to go outside again and go to the store and do things that I used to be able to do. But it's not in my hands, it's in yours," he said. "The biggest limiting factor isn't the fact that I get sick; it's that other people won't get the vaccine so that I go out freely."

"It's mind-boggling the amount of compassion and love that we had for each other at the start of this pandemic with this 'we're all in this together' mentality," Overbaugh continued. "And quickly, across like six months, issues were politicized issues that shouldn't be politicized. All this love and compassion has turned to violence."

I just want to make a plea: I want to be able to go outside again and go to the store and do things that I used to be able to do. But it's not in my hands, it's in yours.Ethan Overbaugh, leukemia patient

Ryan Berger, who has severe combined immunodeficiency, also known as SCID or "bubble boy disease," has had to go to therapy because of being so vulnerable in a state with such a low vaccination rate. He has also had a bone marrow transplant. He has been vaccinated; however, vaccinations in the past have not always saved him from the disease. In 2012, he got whooping cough even though he had been vaccinated against it.

The illness ravaged his lungs, and the 20-year-old software developer has lungs that are basically the equivalent of a lifelong smoker's. Even if his body makes the antibodies to fight off COVID-19, his lungs can't handle an infection.

"My doctor told me that if I got COVID, I would die," he said. "A lot of it's out of my control. It's very frustrating. It's definitely kind of scary to watch people be irresponsible. Someone being vaccinated is life or death for me, and vaccination isn't a given that it will protect me, so I could be in the hospital next week. I don't want to test it."

Being vaccinated has eased this stress and anxiety a fair amount. He has been able to go into public with a mask and see vaccinated friends and family, but now that the delta variant is spreading so easily and widely, mostly among the unvaccinated, he may have to crack down and quarantine again.

"When you have a bunch of chronic health conditions, everything is risky, but there's an amount of risk that is worth it. Vaccination definitely lowers that risk. It definitely is still scary. I'm not going to act like the vaccine did nothing that would be a terrible way to live my life," he said. "Everyone around me that I know is vaccinated, and they do that for me. Even if my vaccine doesn't work, their vaccines will protect me."

However, he does still have friends and family who are unvaccinated. He tries to be empathetic toward those people, but "you can't be too nice," he said. If someone asks him if it's OK to see him if they're not vaccinated, he usually asks them how they would feel if they gave him COVID-19 and then had to come to his funeral.

"It's really easy to be mad at them, but (I'm) letting them peek in and do that risk calculus for themself because maybe they haven't," he said.

Both Berger and Overbaugh talked about the discussion of personal rights and freedoms that surround the topic of vaccination and mask-wearing.

"It's easy to tell some minority population which is me in this case to go sit inside and quarantine so I can do whatever I want with my body. But there's the contradiction: I don't get the right to my body when you're not vaccinated," Berger said.

Overbaugh sees vaccination as a form of patriotism and a way to get the economy back on track by bringing immunocompromised people back into the workforce. He says that the amount of stuff he has to do just to have a chance of going outside is much more than someone getting a shot.

"If you can get it, get it. If I could get the vaccine, I would. It's completely out of my power, and this mentality is letting people like me down. You say that it's about you and your rights, but I can't return to my normal life until people do the right thing, and that thing is so easy," he said. "Getting sick for a day, tops, to help other people is worth it. I would do it over and over and over again. It can't be worse than my chemotherapy."

For Berger, he believes it comes down to basic empathy for medically vulnerable people like him, which he says is lacking.

"I think that more empathy is needed in this world. That's my takeaway from this whole mess," he said.

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Unvaccinated, not by choice: Immunocompromised people and the COVID-19 vaccine - KSL.com

CNN has fired three employees who showed up to work without getting a covid-19 vaccine, according to reports from multiple news outlets. The firings happened last week but were only announced during an all-staff memo by CNN bosses on Thursday, according to Reuters.

In the past week, we have been made aware of three employees who were coming to the office unvaccinated. All three have been terminated, the memo from CNN president Jeff Zucker said according to Deadline.

Let me be clearwe have a zero-tolerance policy on this. You need to be vaccinated to come to the office. And you need to be vaccinated to work in the field, with other employees, regardless of whether you enter an office or not. Period, Zucker continued.

CNN had been using the honor system to determine who was vaccinated and who was not, but Zucker said that CNNs internal security pass, operated by its parent company WarnerMedia, might soon be linked in a way that proves an employee is vaccinated. Presumably, this would mean showing your vaccination card to security so that it becomes part of the employees internal security record.

We expect that in the weeks ahead, showing proof of vaccination may become a formal part of the WarnerMedia Passcard process. Regardless, our expectations remain in place, Zucker explained.

G/O Media may get a commission

The U.S. has seen a surge in covid-19 cases as the Delta variant of the virus makes its way through the unvaccinated population. The U.S. reported over 127,000 new cases of covid-19 on Thursday alone and 574 deaths.

Zucker touched on the topic of masks, which have been hotly debated as the CDC flip flops on its recommendations for vaccinated people.

There have also been some changes to masking policies in recent weeks. As of today, masks are required in our Los Angeles, Washington DC, and Atlanta workspaces. This means that unless you are eating, drinking, or in an enclosed private space with the door shut, you need to wear a mask indoors regardless of your vaccination status, Zucker wrote.

Local guidance in New York was only a recommendation for masking, therefore we are not mandating it. But it goes without saying that even in places that we dont mandate it, anyone who wants to wear a mask should absolutely do so. These decisions can be very personal for people no two situations are the same. Everyone should do what feels most comfortable for them, without any fear of retaliation or judgment from co-workers, Zucker continued.

While its great that CNN is mandating the covid-19 vaccine, its not clear where the three terminated employees worked or whether they were given the opportunity to appeal their firings. But with Americas extremely weak worker rights laws, theres virtually no chance those people will have any avenue for redress.

Employers across the country are free to do a lot of things, including any requirement that employees be vaccinated against diseases. When it comes to covid-19 thats a great thing. But workers definitely suffer under at-will employment in plenty of other areas.

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CNN Fires Three Workers Who Failed to Get Vaccinated for Covid-19 - Gizmodo

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. Music venue and bar Lulus Downstairs will begin requiring proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of entry to all shows on Wednesday, Aug. 11.

Masks are strongly recommended on-site, though not required at this time.

All venue staff has been fully vaccinated, and masks can be provided to patrons.

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Music venue Lulus Downstairs to require proof of COVID-19 vaccine, negative test starting Aug. 11 - FOX21News.com

Millions of Americans say they wont get their COVID-19 shot despite rising case numbers and pleas from loved ones, health care workers and politicians. How can they be convinced?

We asked psychologist Dr. Stuart Bassman, who said personal relationships with strong foundations of trust and compassion are the best bet to change someone's mind.

Bassman said its important to be understanding and patient about vaccine-hesitant friends fears, and to understand how they arrived at their position.

He said many turn to social media to seek out information confirming their existing emotional beliefs, which might be tinged with anxiety over how quickly the vaccine was developed and approved.

Therefore, its important to meet them on an emotional level. Facts and scientific evidence dont mean much if you cant compassionately address their feelings about the vaccine, which has been safely administered to hundreds of millions of people.

Say to a family member, I know this is scary and frightening for you, Bassman said. I know youre afraid.

Its also important to be patient, he added. Relationships take time. Empathy, even for a position you might find frustrating or hard to understand, is a must.

Instead of trying to get the person to change, you cant do that, he said. What you can do is imagine that youre with them in their fear.

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How can we convince COVID-19 vaccine skeptics to get the shot? - WCPO

Tania J. Mistretta is a principal in the New York City, New York, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. Her practice focuseson representing employers in all areas of employment law, including handling employment litigation matters and offering preventative counseling.

Tanias employment litigation experience includes defending employers against claims of discrimination, retaliation and harassment under federal, state and local law.She regularly counsels employers on a broad range of employee issues, including disciplines and...

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IRS Including Leave for COVID-19 Vaccination or Related Illnesses - The National Law Review

A Florida radio host who was vehemently outspoken about vaccinations died from COVID-19 complications on Friday.

Dick Farrel, of West Palm Beach, Florida, was beloved by many listeners and supports for his right-wing opinions. Farrel was also known for his thoughts on the COVID-19 vaccine, which he was opposed to taking himself.

Prior to his death, the radio veteran made a number of comments on Facebook regarding Dr. Fauci and the COVID-19 vaccine.

"Fauci, the power tripping lying freak named in the Trump lawsuit," Farrel said in July. "Why take a vax promoted by people who lied 2 u all along about masks, where the virus came from, and the death toll?"

After contracting COVID-19, Farrel recanted a number of statements and urged them to get the vaccine, according to close friends.

A number of Farrel's friends gave their condolences across social media.

"COVID took one of my best friends! RIP Dick Farrel. He is the reason I took the shot. He texted me and told me to 'Get it!' He told me this virus is no joke and he said, "I wish I had gotten it!" said close friend Amy Leigh Hair on her Facebook page.

"I was one of one the people like him who didn't trust the vaccine. I trusted my immune system. I just became more afraid of getting COVID-19 than I was of any possible side effects of the vaccine. I'm glad I got vaccinated," Hair told WPTV.

Lee Strasser, who's a former Market General Manager for CBS Radio West Palm Beach, spoke about Strasser to WPTV.

"Dick was flamboyant, outrageous at times, and willing to take on any and all comers," said Strasser, who hired Farrel in the 1990s.

"He loved to engage with local politicians and pulled no punches. Was he right all the time? No... But he was "RIGHT" all the time, especially if you asked him," said Strasser.

"Did he stay out of trouble? Not always. Was he great with clients? Yes," Strasser continued. "Was he a pleasure in the building? Absolutely. Was he loyal? Unquestionably! Was he skilled? Yessir! His passing is a big loss. He was a kind-hearted person with a load of passion, and his memory will stand the test of time. We have all lost a friend in Farrel."

In Florida, Farrel's state, COVID cases are spiking rapidly. President Joe Biden recently called out Governor Ron DeSantis regarding his stance on mask mandates.

"And worst of all, some state officials are passing laws or signing orders that forbid people from doing the right thing," Biden said in a Tuesday press conference. "As of now, seven states not only banned mask mandates but also banned them in their school districts, even for young children who cannot get vaccinated."

As of Friday, there are more than 134,500 new reported cases of COVID-19 across Florida and 175 deaths, according to The Florida Department of Health.

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Florida Radio Host Who Warned Against Vaccine Dies of COVID-19 Complications - Newsweek

WASHINGTON, D.C. As some Catholics are seeking a religious exemption to the coronavirus vaccine mandates that are becoming more common in workplaces and even some public venues, priests in the Archdiocese of New York have been advised not to get involved in that process.

There is no basis for a priest to issue a religious exemption to the vaccine, said a memo sent to priests in the New York Archdiocese July 30. An image of the memo was published by a news correspondent on social media two days after it was issued.

An archdiocesan spokesman confirmed with Catholic News Service that this communication was accurate and was sent by Msgr. Joseph LaMorte, archdiocesan vicar general, and John Cahill, archdiocesan chancellor.

The memo not only advised priests not to be involved in issuing religious exemptions but stressed that if they did issue them they would be acting in contradiction to the directives of the pope and participating in an act that could have serious consequences to others.

The archdiocesan leaders wrote that they occasionally hear from Catholics who have a sincere moral objection to the COVID-19 vaccines due to their connection to abortion. This concern is particularly acute among people who are strongly pro-life and very loyal to the teaching of the faith. It is a serious issue for some people who often seek guidance and support from the church.

They said New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan had suggested that clarity be provided to assist our priests in response to requests of this nature which they are receiving.

The memo distinguished individual vaccine decisions from getting backing by ones parish priest on this issue, stressing that any individual is free to exercise discretion on getting the vaccine based upon his or her own beliefs without seeking the inaccurate portrayal of church instructions.

Our priests should not be active participants to such actions, it said.

It also echoed what church leaders have said about the COVID-19 vaccine, noting: Pope Francis has made it very clear that it is morally acceptable to take any of the vaccines and said we have the moral responsibility to get vaccinated. Cardinal Dolan has said the same.

The direction for New Yorks archdiocesan priests comes just days before New Yorks Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that New York City would be the first U.S. city to require proof of at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine for most indoor events, effective Aug. 16.

If you want to participate in our society fully, youve got to get vaccinated. Its time, he said during an Aug. 3 news conference.

And the mayors announcement is on the heels of a July 29 message from President Joe Biden that said his administration will require all civilian federal workers to provide COVID-19 vaccination status or face strict testing measures, social distancing and masking requirements.

Similarly, around the country, particularly amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases and the spread of the Delta variant of the virus, workplaces have been modifying previous decisions on vaccine requirements going from strongly encouraging, but not requiring them, to saying employees must show proof of vaccination.

One Catholic organization supporting such a mandate for employers is the St. Louis-based Catholic Health Association, which represents more than 2,200 Catholic hospitals, nursing homes and long-term care facilities in the U.S. The group issued a statement July 23 urging all health care workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Also in July, two Catholic organizations issued statements against imposing a coronavirus vaccine mandate without conscience, religious or medical exemptions.

The Catholic Medical Association said in a July 28 statement that it opposes mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations as a condition of employment without conscience or religious exemptions, adding that an individual Catholics decision to be vaccinated should be informed by the clear and authoritative moral teaching of the church on vaccinations.

And the National Catholic Bioethics Center said in early July that it does not endorse mandated COVID-19 immunization with any of the three vaccines that have received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The center, based in Philadelphia, provides a vaccine religious exemption template on its website, http://www.ncbcenter.org, which states: The Catholic Church teaches that a person may be required to refuse a medical intervention, including a vaccination, if his or her informed conscience comes to this sure judgment.

The issue of not granting religious exemptions to vaccine mandates could make its way to the Supreme Court, just as restrictions on religious gatherings during the pandemic came before the court as an issue of religious discrimination.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has said that employers must provide a reasonable accommodation if an employees sincerely held religious belief, practice or observance prevents them from receiving the vaccination.

Such an accommodation though cannot pose an undue hardship under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, meaning it shouldnt decrease workplace efficiency or infringe on the rights of other employees.

The Society for Human Resource Management, based in Alexandria, Virginia, states on its website that employers who want to require employees to take the vaccine should be aware that federal law allows employees to ask to be exempted from the requirement for medical or religious reasons.

To be given a religious exemption, it says employees should be asked to provide an explanation of his or her sincerely held religious beliefs and, if necessary, appropriate documentation from his or her religious leader regarding the religious belief that conflicts with the employers vaccination requirement.

Such documentation, which the New York archdiocesan memo specifically referred to, also brings up another legal issue. The memo, for example, asked church leaders to imagine a student receiving a religious exemption, contracting the virus and spreading it throughout the campus. Clearly this would be an embarrassment to the archdiocese, it said, adding that some even argue that it might impose personal liability on a priest.

Colleges in particular, with a mixed bag of requiring proof of vaccination, also are looking at religious exemptions.

In July, The Pilot, newspaper of the Boston Archdiocese, published a story by The Associated Press that said some Boston College students and their parents were upset by the Jesuit-run schools refusal to grant religious exemptions to those who didnt want to get the vaccine.

The university is requiring all students, faculty and staff members to receive a COVID-19 vaccine before the fall semester, unless they are granted religious or medical exemptions.

A religious exemption may be granted if vaccination goes against the fundamental tenets of a faith, said Boston College spokesperson Ed Hayward in a statement.

He added that since Pope Francis, Boston Cardinal Sean P. OMalley and millions of Catholics worldwide have been vaccinated, it is difficult for Catholics to make an argument against a COVID-19 vaccination.

M.C. Sullivan, ethicist for the Archdiocese of Boston, told AP that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines do not contain any immorally illicit material. She added that the pope and the archbishop of Boston have said the remoteness of the abortion act in the vaccines is so far removed to the current public health crisis.

Right now, theres a positive moral obligation to save lives by getting vaccinated, she said.

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N.Y. priests urged not to give religious exemptions to COVID-19 vaccines - Crux Now

CoronavirusA health care worker prepares a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Boston Medical Center. Adam Glanzman / Bloomberg

Would you approve of the government requiring people to get the COVID-19 vaccine?

Apparently in Massachusetts, most people would answer, yes.

A new survey found that 81.1 percent of respondents in Massachusetts would approve of such a mandate a higher percentage of people than anywhere else in the United States.

The study, conducted by The COVID-19 Consortium for Understanding the Publics Policy Preferences Across States a multi-institutional project that includes Harvard University and Northeastern University surveyed over 20,000 people across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., between June 9 and July 7.

The survey, published on July 30, found that nationally, support for the government requiring people to be vaccinated is very strong, ranging from 61 percent to 70 percent, depending on the specific type of mandate.

No government vaccine requirement for citizens currently exists, although employers, including the federal government, have rolled out new vaccination rules for employees in recent weeks as virus cases swell due to the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19. Meanwhile, some Boston businesses are requiring customers and patrons to display proof of vaccination as they enter.

Overall, 64 percent of Americans support a vaccine mandate, according to the study, while 70 percent support requiring a vaccine in order to board an airplane.

Additionally, 61 percent of survey respondents supported requiring children to get a vaccine in order to be allowed in school, and 66 percent backed requiring college students to be vaccinated to attend classes.

Public support for such mandates has increased since April/May, both overall and in specific circumstances, like for getting on an airplane and returning to school or a university, the consortium wrote in its report. These over-time increases in support emerge across nearly all partisan and demographic subgroups we investigated.

In Massachusetts, 82.2 percent of survey respondents supported requiring passengers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in order to fly on an airplane, while 76.6 percent backed mandating vaccines for children to be allowed in schools and 82.3 percent support requiring the shots for college students so they may return to school, too. (The margin of error was 6.4 percent.)

As of July 30, 4,356,202 people in Massachusetts were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the state Department of Public Health.

While the survey found that a majority of residents in nearly every state support the government requiring a COVID-19 vaccine, support was also the strongest in Washington, D.C., with 80.5 percent of those surveyed backing the idea, and in New York, with 76.8 percent in support.

Wyoming, with 45.7 percent; South Dakota, with 49.5 percent; and North Dakota, with 49.8 percent, were the only states with less than 50 percent of residents supporting a mandate.

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Support for COVID-19 vaccine mandate higher in Mass. than anywhere in U.S., survey finds - Boston.com

Austin's "inclination is towards making the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory" for active duty troops, a defense official told CNN.

If the secretary makes that final recommendation, he could seek a presidential waiver to allow the vaccine to be administered to troops before full approval by the Food and Drug Administration. A Pentagon decision and recommendation on how to proceed could come this week, several officials say.

Biden announced on July 29 that he was asking the Defense Department to "look into how and when" it will add the Covid-19 vaccine to the list of mandatory military vaccinations. Biden specifically said he knew that Austin is "open to it."

Since then, the Joint Chiefs have met to discuss how a mandatory vaccination plan might work. Austin has also been consulting with military medical authorities, the defense official said. Austin's current view is to "seek authorization to make it mandatory."

'We'll get after it'

The Pentagon previously indicated it was likely to wait for FDA approval before making inoculation against Covid-19 mandatory, but Biden's push for greater vaccination levels created pressure to move more quickly and will likely lead the Pentagon to request a presidential waiver.

Traveling in the Philippines last week, Austin told a news conference that he would consult with medical professionals and the services on a timeline for implementing a new policy. "But we won't let grass grow under our feet," he said. "The President directed us to do something and we'll get after it."

The current thinking at the Pentagon is to have the military services and geographic commanders work together to establish new schedules for vaccination of troops around the world. Troops scheduled for upcoming deployments could be among the first to have mandatory vaccines, officials say.

Defense Department civilians would fall under any rules established for federal employees. National Guard forces would only be covered by the mandate when they are activated by federal, not state, authorities.

Biden announced last week that all federal employees must attest to being vaccinated against Covid-19 or face strict protocols including regular testing, masking and other mitigation measures. At the time, the Pentagon said the new requirements would apply to military and civilian Defense Department personnel, and that it was also considering adding Covid-19 vaccines to the list of required vaccines for military personnel.

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Defense Secretary Austin expected to make Covid-19 vaccine mandatory for active duty troops - CNN