On Thursday, September 9, President Biden established new COVID-19 vaccination requirements that could affect almost 100 million Americans. He announced this new mandate at the White House saying, “We’ve been patient, but our patience is wearing thin, and your refusal has cost all of us.” He urged Americans to “do the right thing” and get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Biden’s message is a response to the roughly 80 million Americans who refuse to get vaccinated despite their eligibility. The vaccination mandate will push almost two-thirds of all American workers to be vaccinated, including federal employees and health care workers. It will also require all companies with more than 100 workers to require vaccines or ensure weekly COVID testing among their unvaccinated employees. President Biden was initially reluctant to enact mandates but following the full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine by the US Food and Drug Administration, he began moving aggressively to require vaccinations.

Republicans have pushed back against  the new mandate, and characterized the president’s new rules as “unconstitutional”. President Biden is said to be imposing these requirements lawfully and in compliance with evidence-based federal health safety standards. Some people say this new mandate might be “too little, too late” whereas others agree with it and believe that it is a necessary step towards the end of the pandemic. Fortunately, about 62.2% of New Mexico is fully vaccinated and hopefully with this new mandate the spread of COVID-19 will slow.