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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Health care systems, schools, public-sector agencies and private businesses with COVID-19 vaccine mandates have seen vaccination rates jump 20 points — in many instances to over 90%, according to a White House analysis released ahead of President Biden's trip to Chicago on Thursday.

Why it matters: That's a lot higher than the average fully vaccinated rate for working-age adults — 63%.

Mandates are quickly becoming standard practice:

  • They're now in place at 25% of businesses, 40% of hospitals and colleges serving 37% of students, according to the White House.

The bottom line: 95 million eligible Americans were unvaccinated when Biden made his mandate announcement last month. That number is down to 67 million today — and the federal rule for private businesses hasn't even been finalized yet.

Go deeper

Colorado governor says COVID "medical emergency" is over

Photo: Hyoung Chang/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) said in an interview the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines spell "the end of the medical emergency" as it relates to the virus, and he will not implement a statewide mask mandate in response to the Omicron variant.

Why it matters: Polis told Colorado Public Radio he prefers pushing vaccinations versus mask mandates, and that the latter should be left to localities. He added that public health officials "don’t get to tell people what to wear."

Dec 13, 2021 - Health

SCOTUS declines to block New York's COVID vaccine mandate for health care workers

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks during a news conference in New York on Sept. 30. Photo: Angus Mordant/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to block New York's coronavirus vaccine mandate for health care workers, which does not allow for religious exemptions.

Why it matters: A group of health care workers had sued the state arguing the mandate violated their religious freedoms.

Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Omicron dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Health: U.S. COVID death toll tops 800,000 — COVID may qualify as disability under ADA, EEOC says — Fighting COVID misinformation with cartoons.
  2. Vaccines: Millions of America's seniors are vulnerable to Omicron — NFL requires coaches and some staff get COVID vaccine boosters.
  3. States: Colorado governor says COVID "medical emergency" is over — Supreme Court declines to block NY's COVID vaccine mandate for health care workers
  4. World: COVID vaccine passports boost uptake in countries with lower coverage, study finds — U.K. raises COVID alert following surge in Omicron cases — Africa may not hit 70% vaccination target until late 2024, WHO warns.
  5. Variant tracker: Where different strains are spreading.

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