Department of Veterans Affairs requiring all its medical employees to get Covid-19 vaccine as delta variant spreads

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday became the first major federal agency to require health care workers to get Covid-19 vaccines. The decision comes as the aggressive delta variant spreads and some communities report troubling increases in hospitalizations among unvaccinated people. The VA’s move came on a day when nearly 60 leading medical and health care organizations issued a call for health care facilities to require their workers to get vaccinated. At the VA, vaccines will be now mandatory for specified health care personnel — including physicians, dentists, podiatrists, optometrists, registered nurses, physician assistants, and others who work in departmental facilities or provide direct care to veterans.