WASHINGTON — Health care giant CVS Health and oil and gas giant Chevron both said Monday they would soon require COVID-19 vaccinations for some employees as the delta variant causes cases to rise.
The announcements came on the same day that the FDA gave full approval to the Pfizer vaccine. A few hours later, President Joe Biden called on more U.S. companies to require their employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
“If you’re a business leader, a non-profit leader, a state or local leader, who has been waiting for full FDA approval to require vaccinations, I call on you now to do that, require it,” Biden urged.
CVS said its nurses, care managers and corporate staff will be required to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 31. The company said pharmacists working in CVS stores will have until Nov. 30 to be fully vaccinated.
As the oil industry struggles with rising infections among unvaccinated workers, Chevron said Monday it will require COVID vaccinations for employees working offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as some onshore support personnel and those who travel internationally, The New York Times, Bloomberg and Fox News reported.
The Wall Street Journal says the San Ramon, Calif.-based company is now evaluating whether to impose a vaccine mandate throughout its entire workforce. It may allow exemptions for health or religious reasons.
Hess Corporation said it will be requiring its employees who work on platforms in the Gulf of Mexico to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 1, according to Bloomberg.
The FDA had previously approved three vaccines — Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson — under an emergency use authorization. Pfizer is the first to receive full FDA approval, which Biden dubbed the “gold standard.”
More than 200 million doses already have been administered in the U.S. since emergency use began in December.
On the same day the FDA decision came down, New York City announced that all public school teachers and other staffers will have to get vaccinated. The Pentagon also said it will move ahead with plans to require members of the military to get vaccinated. The University of Minnesota likewise said it will require its students get the shot, as did Louisiana's major public universities, including LSU, though state law there allows broad exemptions.
United Airlines has also bumped up the deadline for its employees to get vaccinated now that the FDA gave full approval to Pfizer. According to CNN, United said all its U.S. employees will need to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 27 or face losing their job. United is the only major U.S. airline to announce a vaccine mandate for its workers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.