Florida Trend reports that legal experts agree that Florida employers can require employees to get vaccinated. With more people able to get COVID-19 vaccines and businesses taking steps to bring operations back to normal, questions about mandated vaccinations have arisen. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued guidance saying that generally, yes, “employers can mandate a COVID-19 vaccine as long as they comply with all federal EEO laws.” [Source: WTVT]
Florida’s COVID variants soar as spring breakers arrive [Orlando Sentinel]
As travelers flock to the Sunshine State for spring break, Florida is reporting a soaring number of COVID-19 mutations, far higher than anywhere else in the nation, raising concern that college students and Daytona Bike Week crowds will bring home the more contagious strains to their communities.
About 1.8 million Florida seniors are still not vaccinated
As of mid-March, three months after Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that seniors were his top priority in the coronavirus vaccine rollout, about 1.8 million of the state’s residents 65 and older still hadn’t been vaccinated as of Monday. DeSantis is expanding vaccination eligibility next week to anyone 60 or older, adding another 1.4 million people to those vying with seniors for the often hard-to-get vaccine appointments. Health care workers, people of any age with underlying conditions and firefighters, teachers and law enforcement officers 50 and older also are eligible. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Previous Health Care Updates:
- Florida records fewest COVID-related deaths in more than three months
- What we know and don’t know 1 year after Florida’s first coronavirus case
- A tight budget year could mean health care spending cuts
- 500,000 Floridians could get free health insurance as special enrollment begins
- Florida to get $40 million in opioid settlement
- DeSantis health budget wins praise — mostly
- Unemployment caused by COVID driving up Florida’s Medicaid rolls — and costing billions
- Florida lawmakers weigh health care liability protections