Covid-19 vaccine booster doses approved for some US adults

A New York judge has postponed the vaccination requirement mandate for the state’s court workers represented by the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) labor union because its implementation violated civil service law, according to court documents.

Prior to this court ruling, court workers were required to show proof of vaccination of at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose by Monday.

Judge Christina Ryba ordered Friday that there is “reasonable cause to believe that [the New York state’s court system’s] unilateral imposition of the mandatory vaccination requirement is an improper practice that violates Civil Service Law.”

CSEA argued that the statewide mandatory vaccine requirement constituted a new work rule that changed the terms and conditions of their employment and that the vaccine mandate was implemented without prior negotiation with the union, in violation of Civil Service Law.

Under the law, “a public employer is obligated to negotiate in good faith with the bargaining representative of its current employees regarding “terms and conditions of employment” and the failure to do so constitutes an improper employment practice,” Ryba wrote.

Ryba noted that while the law’s requirement for mandatory negotiations “may be circumvented where a clear legislative intent” is present, the New York court system failed to identify any statute that specifically permits the imposition of a vaccine mandate without prior union bargaining.

Another hearing on the case is scheduled for Oct. 1 at 1 p,m. ET, court documents stated.

Three-quarters of the eligible population in the US has now received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Roughly 55.1% of the total US population has been fully vaccinated against Covid-19; that represents approximately 183 million people.

Some more insight from the CDC:

CVS will begin administering an additional dose of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine later in the day on Friday, a company spokesperson told CNN.

“We are reviewing the CDC guidance and will be ready to provide the booster dose at CVS Pharmacy and select MinuteClinic locations that offer the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine later today,” Matt Blanchette, retail communications manager with CVS Pharmacy, told CNN in an email.

“We strongly encourage customers to schedule an appointment in advance at CVS.com to ensure they are able to access the correct vaccine at a convenient time and location,” Blanchette added.

This comes after the CDC okayed the use of booster shots for people who got Pfizer vaccines at least six months ago and who are either 65 or older, or over 18 and with underlying conditions putting them at higher risk. She also added health care workers, first responders and others at high occupational risk of infection to the list. 

Current recommendations for Covid-19 booster vaccines do not change the definition of who is fully vaccinated, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Friday

The CDC currently defines fully vaccinated as being 14 days past a second dose of an mRNA Covid-19 vaccine – Pfizer’s or Moderna’s -– or 14 days past one dose of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine. 

Booster doses of Covid-19 will not be enough to end the Covid-19 pandemic, and the focus remains on vaccinating the unvaccinated, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Friday.

Walensky earlier okayed the use of booster shots for people who got Pfizer vaccines at least six months ago and who are either 65 or older, or over 18 and with underlying conditions putting them at higher risk. She also added health care workers, first responders and others at high occupational risk of infection to the list. 

“While today’s action was an initial step related to booster shots, it will not distract us from our most important focus: to get as many people as possible vaccinated with a primary series,” she said in a White House Covid-19 Response Team briefing.

Walensky said as cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are increasing in unvaccinated areas, “the most vulnerable are those unvaccinated.” 

“If you are not vaccinated and eligible, I encourage you to get vaccinated to protect your community, your family and yourself,” she said.

Students enter a public school in Queens, New York, on September 13.

The leaders of two major unions representing teachers, principals and school supervisors in New York City say they have major concerns about how schools will be both safe and properly staffed ahead of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s vaccine mandate deadline Monday.

Both the United Federation of Teachers and Council of School Supervisors and Administrators are calling on de Blasio to delay the deadline, which is Monday at midnight.

As of Thursday, 81% of all Department of Education employees and 87% of teachers have received at least one dose, according to the New York City Department of Education.

That means about 10,000 New York City school teachers have yet to upload proof of their vaccination. If they do not, they risk losing their jobs — faced with the option of either taking a year of unpaid leave, or leaving with a severance package.

United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew and Council of School Supervisors and Administrators President Mark Cannizzaro said they both have no idea at this point just how bad things could be at each individual school, saying that information has not been shared openly by the NYC Board of Education.

“I’ve heard from several schools that have anywhere between 30 and 100 people currently on a non-compliant list,” Cannizzaro said.

Cannizzaro said that he’s heard urgent concerns from his members about what will unfold on Tuesday morning.

“We’re probably going to land up in a place where all right, we have five schools in this district that need three or four teachers and then we have two other schools in the district that need 25 teachers,” Mulgrew said.

Cannizzaro and Mulgrew both said de Blasio’s optimism that enough people will get vaccinated by Monday night is not enough and have pushed for an actual plan of action.

“No one has reached out to find out exactly which schools are going to have an issue, and giving them additional support to make sure that the principal, the superintendent and everyone is comfortable that kids will be safe come Tuesday morning,” Cannizzaro said of the Department of Education

The department and de Blasio have said they are prepared for the Monday deadline with reserves prepared to deploy from pools of substitute teachers in the wings or other former teachers working in other areas. The Department of Education says it has a reserve pool of 11,000 substitute teachers.

CNN has reached out to the Mayor’s office and the NYC DOE for comment on the UFT and CSA remarks.

Health officials in the United States have said Covid-19 vaccine boosters can begin for older and higher-risk people there. But at least 15 countries around the world — most of them in Africa — have yet to give at least one vaccine dose to more than 3% of their population.

The decision by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention means millions of Americans can receive booster shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in the coming months.

But it goes against calls by the World Health Organization chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, for wealthy nations to refrain from boosting their Covid-19 vaccinations until at least the end of the year, to allow more supply to reach poorer nations.

Wealthier nations have been supplying Covid-19 vaccine doses bilaterally and through WHO’s vaccine-sharing program COVAX, but donations have so far fallen short of what was pledged for this year.

At least 15 nations have yet to give at least one vaccine dose to more than 3% of their population, according to the latest figures compiled by Reuters. The proportion of people fully vaccinated in these nations is smaller still.

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GOMA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO - MAY 05: Health workers in the vaccination room during the COVID-19 vaccination campaign on May 5, 2021 in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo. The central African country received 1.7 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine through the United Nations-led COVAX facility in March. (Photo by Guerchom Ndebo/Getty Images)

Related article Booster doses just got approved in the US. At least 15 countries haven't vaccinated 3% of their people yet

President Biden advised Americans currently outside the eligible groups who might be looking to get Covid-19 booster shots to wait their turn.

While speaking about the pandemic and boosters at the White House, Biden said scientists and doctors are analyzing data on the potential for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

Right now, Pfizer booster shots are available to people 65 years of age and older, those with underlying medical conditions and frontline workers.

President Biden called on Americans who have become eligible for Pfizer’s Covid-19 booster shots to get a third shot “now,” and announced he would be getting one himself soon in remarks Friday.

He added that he was “not sure exactly when” that would happen but that he would get it “as soon as I can.”

His remarks come hours after US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky diverged from the agency’s independent vaccine advisers to recommend boosters for a broader group of people — those ages 18 to 64 who are at increased risk of Covid-19 because of their workplaces or institutional settings — in addition to adults 65 and older, long-term care facility residents and some people with underlying health conditions.

President Biden, speaking from the White House about the Covid-19 pandemic and booster vaccines, said the US has made incredible progress in vaccinating millions of Americans — but 25% of eligible people have still failed to get a single dose of the vaccine.

He continued: “And to make matters worse, there are elected officials actively working to undermine with false information the fight against Covid-19. This is totally unacceptable.”

Biden said that while “the vast majority of Americans are doing the right thing,” one in four eligible Americans have still not gotten their first vaccine dose.

“In a country as large as ours, that 25% minority can cause an awful lot of damage. They are causing a lot of damage,” he said, adding that unvaccinated people “overcrowd our hospitals” and put stress on the health care system.

A dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is prepared at a clinic in Los Angeles, California, on August 7.

While encouraging Americans 65 years old and over, those with underlying medical conditions and frontline workers who received Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine to get booster shots now, President Biden also said people who received Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines that they still have “a high degree of protection.”

“Again, the bottom line is if you’re fully vaccinated, you’re highly protected from severe illness, even if you get Covid-19,” he said.

Following CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky’s recommendations, President Biden said Americans who received the Pfizer vaccine against Covid-19 between January and March should get their booster shots now if they are 65 or older or have a medical condition or are frontline workers.

“I’ll be getting my booster shot. It’s hard to acknowledge I’m over 65, but I’ll be getting my booster shot,” he said.

Booster shots will be available in 80,000 locations, including over 40,000 pharmacies nationwide, he added.

President Biden is speaking now following the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s booster decision.

Early Friday morning, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky diverged from the agency’s independent vaccine advisers to recommend boosters for a broader group of people – those ages 18 to 64 who are at increased risk of Covid-19 because of their workplaces or institutional settings – in addition to older adults, long-term care facility residents and some people with underlying health conditions.

President Biden will address the booster decision, rollout and who is impacted, as well as the broader Covid-19 response, according to a White House official.

Biden will speak on Covid-19 at 9:45 a.m. from the State Dining Room at the White House, according to updated guidance. 

A healthcare worker administers a booster shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at a senior living facility in Worcester, Pennsylvania, on August 25.

Following days of lengthy debate among vaccine experts, booster shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine can now be officially administered to some adults in the United States.

Early Friday morning, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky diverged from the agency’s independent vaccine advisers to recommend boosters for a broader group of people — those ages 18 to 64 who are at increased risk of Covid-19 because of their workplaces or institutional settings — in addition to older adults, long-term care facility residents and some people with underlying health conditions.

The CDC recommendation includes the recommendations made by its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Thursday, when it voted to recommend boosters for people age 65 and older and residents of long-term care facilities who received the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine series at least 6 months ago, and people ages 50 to 64 with underlying medical conditions.

The CDC also endorsed the vaccine advisers’ recommendation that people ages 18 to 49 with underlying medical conditions may receive a booster based on their individual benefits and risks.