Biden asks companies to 'step up' vaccine requirements, noting shot mandates have been around 'for decades'

published 23 August 2021

President Biden has called on private companies to ramp up COVID-19 vaccine requirements now that the Pfizer jab is FDA approved, CBS News reports.

"Today, I'm calling on more ... companies in the private sector to step up with vaccine requirements that will reach millions more people," Biden said during his remarks on Monday. "Do what I did last month. Require your employees to get vaccinated or face strict requirements," he added.

Biden also noted that vaccination requirements have been around "for decades," and are not new to COVID-19. "Students, health care professionals, our troops are typically required to receive vaccinations," and "it only makes sense to require a vaccine to stop the spread of COVID-19."

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The president also briefly addressed COVID-19 vaccination and infection in young children, and implored any eligible individual who had been waiting for full FDA approval to go out and get their shot today. "The moment you've been waiting for is here," he said.

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Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.