Biden's vaccine mandate could be a shot in the arm for U.S. economy, experts say
CBSN
President Joe Biden's sweeping vaccine mandate aims to protect more Americans from COVID-19 by requiring that millions of employees at large companies get the shot. Beyond boosting public health, the mandate has another goal: To get the U.S. economic recovery back on track after the Delta variant's spread crimped job growth and consumer confidence.
"We cannot let the unvaccinated [undo] this progress," Mr. Biden said on Thursday when he announced the mandate, noting that the spike in COVID-19 cases has slowed the nation's recovery. In Mr. Biden's eyes, the vaccine mandate — which requires all employers with 100 or more employees ensure their workforces are fully vaccinated or show a negative COVID test at least once a week — will not only protect lives, but the economy. And economists say the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant has underscored that the economy isn't likely to fully recover until the public health crisis is contained. Already, states with low vaccination rates are witnessing slower job growth than states where more of the population is vaccinated, according to some economic data.Ashley White received her earliest combat action badge from the United States Army soon after the first lieutenant arrived in Afghanistan. The silver military award, recognizing soldiers who've been personally engaged by an attacker during conflict, was considered an achievement in and of itself as well as an affirming rite of passage for the newly deployed. White had earned it for using her own body to shield a group of civilian women and children from gunfire that broke out in the midst of her third mission in Kandahar province. All of them survived. She never mentioned the badge to anyone in her battalion.
The knock at the door came at nighttime on Mother's Day 2008 in Oregon, where Jessica Ellis' parents lived. It was around 9:20 p.m. and his wife, Linda, was already in bed; her father Steve Ellis told CBS News, that he thought someone let their animals out — but two soldiers in Class A uniforms were standing at the door.