The Department of Veteran Affairs will become the first federal agency to require its employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, the bureau announced Monday. Over the next two months, 115,000 of its frontline workers will have to get their jabs. “I am doing this because it’s the best way to keep our veterans safe, full stop,” said Denis McDonough, the secretary of veterans affairs. McDonough added that patient-facing employees—doctors, dentists, nurses—who don’t get vaccinated will face penalties, including removal. President Joe Biden has been informed of the decision, said McDonough. COVID outbreaks among Veterans Affairs employees have caused staffing shortages within the department. About 70 percent of the bureau’s frontline workers have been fully vaccinated, but officials say it’s not enough when it comes to the care of veterans who might be vulnerable to illness. “Our clinicians are arguing that we do need a higher number than that,” McDonough said. To date, 146 department workers and 12,679 veterans have died from COVID-related complications. McDonough calls the move an important step in “enhancing veteran patient safety.”
