Judge Deals Major Blow To Biden’s Vaccine Mandate For Healthcare Workers In 10 States

Missouri-based U.S. District Judge Matthew Schelp granted an injunction on Biden’s vaccine mandate for healthcare workers in 10 states on Monday, court documents show.

The case applies to Medicare and Medicaid-certified medical establishments in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, New Hampshire, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Alaska, and Arkansas. The injunction concerns the federal vaccine mandate from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Under this mandate, healthcare employees, trainees, students, volunteers, or contractors who provide any care, treatment, or other services for a facility must be fully inoculated against COVID-19. The mandate applies to 15 categories of healthcare facilities.  

Schelp, who was appointed by former President Trump, decided in his 32-page preliminary injunction that there was a detrimental impact of losing qualified healthcare workers due to this mandate that outweighed the need for healthcare workers to be vaccinated.