More than 90% of federal workers will have complied with vaccine mandate

More than 90 percent of federal employees will have received at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose by the end of Monday, ahead of the deadline for all federal employees to get vaccinated.

Out of the 3.5 million federal employees, 90 percent of them will have been vaccinated against Covid-19 and the majority are fully vaccinated, said an administration official. Five percent of the workers have requested or received an exception or extension.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the numbers are expected to increase, with many employees rushing to meet the requirements and submitting the paperwork at the last minute.

The federal employees who do not comply with the mandate today will not face dismissal. But the employees who have not complied should expect an “education and counseling process, followed by additional enforcement steps over time if needed,” said the official.

“We do not anticipate facing any governmental operational disruptions due to this requirement and in fact, the requirement will avoid disruptions, in our view, in our labor force because vaccinations help avoid Covid,” said Psaki.

Biden had initially given federal workers the choice to undergo regular testing instead of getting vaccinated. However, the vaccination mandate imposed by Biden in September required all federal workers to submit their vaccination proof by the end of today.

The mandate covers all federal employees, whether they are working remotely or in an office.

To be fully vaccinated, employees must have received two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. With booster shots made available to all adults last Friday, the CDC might include booster shots in the definition of fully vaccinated.

"As the progress across the Federal government has shown, these requirements work," the administration official said, "and we hope that our implementation can serve as an example for other businesses of every size to move forward with similar measures that will protect their workforce, protect their customers and protect our communities."