Court ruling revives COVID-19 vaccination mandate in some states

A series of court rulings this week left the country divided, with half of states subject to the COVID-19 vaccination mandate issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and half not. On Dec. 15, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a ruling triggering a resumption of the CMS vaccination mandate rule in roughly half of U.S. states while simultaneously upholding preliminary injunctions that allowed 24 states not to comply while their suits against the mandate are pending. The American Hospital Association published a post on the Fifth Circuit’s ruling and continues to urge CMS to provide useful guidance to those states where the mandate is again in effect. In related news, the Supreme Court declined a request to block New York’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate for the state’s health care workforce. (AHA News update, 12/15/21)