Ahead of Monday's deadline, roughly 95 percent of the 3.5 million federal employees affected by President Biden's vaccine mandate have complied with the inoculation requirement for government workers, Politico reports, per the White House.
Over 90 percent of federal employees "have had at least one shot, with the vast majority of those employees being fully vaccinated," an administration official told Politico. The other 5 percent "have submitted exception applications that were already approved or are pending," per CNN. Any federal employee in the process of getting vaccinated or requesting an exemption is considered to be in compliance with the mandate, notes Politico.
"These numbers make one thing perfectly clear: vaccination requirements work," said an official, per Axios. "We have done this with the largest workforce in the United States, with more than 3.5 million covered employees across the country and around the world in diverse roles. And we have done this without disruptions to critical services people depend on," the official added.
In September, Biden issued an executive order mandating all federal employees receive a COVID-19 vaccine within 75 days, declining to allow for a weekly testing alternative.
One source with knowledge of the compliance figures said the counts "have exceeded the administration's expectations," reports CNN.
For the employees who have not complied or do not have a pending or approved exception or extension request, federal departments and agencies will provide an "education and counseling process," per CNN. There may also be additional enforcement over time.