Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on Sunday defended the Biden administration’s latest COVID-19 vaccine requirements, stating they are within the federal government’s legal authority.
Appearing on ABC News’ This Week, Murthy said it was important to place the mandates, requiring roughly two-thirds of America’s to get vaccinated against the virus must be put “in context.”
“There are requirements that we put in workplaces every day to make sure that workplaces and schools are safe,” Murthy said.
On Thursday, President Joe Biden announced that all federal workers, contractors and healthcare workers employed by institutions that accept Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement to get vaccinated and directed the Department of Labor to require all businesses with 100 or more employees to require that workers be fully vaccinated or get tested for the virus once a week.
The mandate would also require 300,000 educators in federal Head Start programs to be fully vaccinated.
A total of 209,437,152 Americans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as 73.8% of all eligible Americans aged 12 and older have at least received their first shot, while 63% are fully vaccinated, according to data gathered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The mandate also comes amid a surge in cases brought on by the presence of the highly infectious Delta variant, as the CDC has reported a seven-day moving average of 135,749 new COVID-19 cases as of Friday. The United States leads the world with 40,944,332 total infections and a death toll of 659,909 since the start of the pandemic, according to data gathered by Johns Hopkins University.
Murthy on Sunday said he did not believe the administration would have put forward the mandate if they did note believe it was an “appropriate legal to take,” citing authority given to the Department of Labor under the Occupational Safety and Health Act to “ensure that the workplace is safe for workers.”
“These are focused on areas where the federal government has legal authority to act,” said Murthy.
On #CNNSOTU w/ @DanaBashCNN, @Surgeon_General says that US officials have concerns about imposing a vaccine mandate for air travel. https://t.co/neuZ145RWz
— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) September 12, 2021
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson told NBC News’ Meet the Press Sunday that while he “appreciated” Murthy’s comments he believes the mandate “hardens the resistance” against the vaccine, noting that prior mandates in schools and other institutions were implemented at the state level.
“It divides our partnership between the federal government and the states,” Hutchinson said of the administration’s latest move. “And it increases the division in terms of vaccination when we should all be together trying to increase the vaccination uptake.”
A total of 26 states have fully vaccinated more than 50% of their population, however, some have seen intensive care units in hospitals fill up with unvaccinated patients, CNN reported.
In Colorado, where 75% of the states eligible residents have at least begun their vaccine regimen, Gov. Jared Polis pleaded with the remaining eligible residents to “go out and get protected so that we can end this pandemic” citing increasing hospitalization numbers.
“We actually have the lowest ICU available rate that we’ve had since the start of this crisis, in part due to the unvaccinated with COVID and just other types of trauma that goes up seasonally this time of year,” Polis said. “Some hospitals are reaching very close to their capacity limits and that wouldn’t be happening if people were vaccinated.”
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“Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on Sunday defended the Biden administration’s latest COVID-19 vaccine requirements, stating they are within the federal government’s legal authority.”
As a lackey within the administration, what else would he say?
“There are requirements that we put in workplaces every day to make sure that workplaces and schools are safe,” Murthy said.
And yet, there has been one instance after another where you people have been caught on camera flaunting the very mandates that you want to push on the public at large. Big gatherings where masks were not being worn and no social distancing—going to restaurants—getting together with family during the Holidays—if all of this stuff is so critical, then why do you risk your lives, so to speak, when you think nobody is looking?
It is pure BS, Murthy.
The suck up general!
All right, Mr. Murthy. Let’s put this ‘In Context’ as you suggest.
1- Masks don’t work. They never have. There are volumes of sound data from medical studies which state exactly this. We’ve been lied to.
2- Masks can do a great deal of harm, damaging the body’s immune system, making infection more likely. We’ve been lied to.
3- The vaccines don’t work. Fully vaccinated people are getting Covid at about the same rate as non-Vaxed. We’ve been lied to.
4- No one really knows the long term affects of these vaccines. We are, essentially, the lab rats for this testing process. We’ve been lied to.
4- Short term effects have been proven to include life long debilitating health issues and death. To a much larger extent than has been reported. We’ve been lied to.
6- Evidence is building that vaccinated people are symptom free, viral spreaders of Covid. We’ve been lied to.
7- People are being warned against using treatments with medications like Ivermectin, having proven extremely effective against Covid. These effective options are being restricted by the same people demanding that we get vaccinated. We’ve been lied to.
So, considering the FACTS, Mr. Murthy. I think it may be you and the Biden administration who are Out of Context here. When you look at the other policy decisions made by this group. I can’t say that I am surprised. We are simply being lied to again.
8- the vaccine causes no problems for those that get it! The problem is for those under the age 25 have been presenting symptoms of severe heart problems that usually occur in people many years older,
We have been lied to again and again and again. The only thing this administration does is lie to the people about everything they can just like the life long politicians they are.
8. Lots of restrictions on American Citizens “to keep us safe” while this Administration does NOTHING to control the borders and illegals bringing in diseases and other threats to our safety. We don’t have an Elected President, we have an Installed Tyrant.
Facts.. WE need no stinkin facts.. just agenda! Now put your face diaper on, PLEB… the Hallowed Fauci has commanded it!
This brought to mind the term frequently applied to both the Johnson and Nixon administration concerning the the conflict in Viet Nam, the CREDIBILITY GAP! It’s the difference between what the public was told or promised and actual or perceived reality of statements or events. Even a political satire group used it as their name for a while! This administration is once again placing this mythical place, like Brigadoon appearing sporadically, on the political map; it isn’t merely about gaffs but an actual misleading of the people, something it accused others of doing. This administration wants it mandates followed but rubukes those who dare question them without substantiating evidence. Since inauguration day the one thing Joe Biden and his minions have been unable to instill to the public is TRUST!
How can you trust a creature that has stage three alzheimers?
HOW CAN ONE ever trust, a cretin, WHO WAS INSTALLED into office, not voted in!
The “delta variant” infected the airspace between Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s ears. Oh and by the way, Vivek Murthy, did you ever think that people who have already had covid have a better immune response to the covid virus than vaccinated people. Oh Vivek, I forgot you “educated” disasters in Washington do not think.
I have natural immunity by virtue of antibodies that formed in my blood in March 2021 when I contracted the Wuhan virus. I vow to never take this experimental shot, (it should not be called a “vaccine.”)
If the “vaccines” worked then those who have taken them should have nothing to fear from those who do not.
Why are we even having a conversation about MANDATING vaccines for a virus that – per the CDC – has an overall survival rate of 99.85%, and a survival rate among the young and people without comorbidities of near 100%? The annual flu is significantly more deadly. To add insult to injury, the CDC admitted (quite some time ago) that the death numbers have been grossly overstated. Instead of a count of over 650,000 dead, the real number (those who died FROM covid rather than those who died WITH covid) is closer to 75,000, and yet the Government and Main Stream Media are still throwing around the inflated numbers with the sole purpose of keeping people scared to death. What is infinitely scarier than the virus is the fact that, despite the obvious illegality of mandating vaccines, our corrupt court system is quite likely to side with Biden and the Surgeon General.
The left cares NOT about facts. JUST their tyrannical agenda.
Has he even read the U.S Constitution ?
How about a stop rampant crime mandate to keep kids & adults safe & protected from being assaulted or shot in the streets outside of their schools & homes?
Dem Party tyrants & self righteous pathologically neurotic people apparently think vaccine or masks won’t protect them from virus unless everyone is as unprotected from virus as they are by being forced against their will to get vaccine & wear masks.
In meantine, the vaccine & mask hysterics who scream the unvaxed / unmasked should die, totally ignore the multi million unvetted unvaxed foreign migrants expecting US taxpayers instead of their own govts support them, or the career criminals preying on citizens & businesses, or the every week multiple murders, or the toxic public hazard of poop, urine, vomit, needles from the vagrants & drug addicts living on sidewalks.
All of whom now comprise a large population in every large Dem run city
Also, how’s about ELIMINATING every damn Gun Free zone out there, SINCE THE STATISTICS PROVE they do not stop crime, in fact, THEY ENCOURAGE IT!