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Local reaction to President Biden's vaccine mandate plan
From the Florida governor to BayCare, there have been immediate reactions to the president's plan for COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
TAMPA, Fla. - Tampa General Hospital announced it will mandate COVID-19 vaccines for all of its physicians and employees following President Joe Biden's Thursday announcement, requiring employers with more than 100 workers to make the vaccines mandatory.
"Since December 2020, Tampa General Hospital has consistently urged all team members and physicians to be vaccinated against COVID-19," the hospital wrote in its Friday announcement. "We have worked diligently to provide evidence-based information and to make the vaccine accessible to everyone who works for Tampa General."
The hospital said as of Sept. 6, 74 percent of its team members were vaccinated against COVID-19.
RELATED: Mixed reactions around Bay Area to President Biden’s vaccine mandates
TGH's announcement comes on the heels of news that BayCare, the largest hospital network and medical provider in southwest Florida, would also mandate the vaccines for its approximately 28,000 workers.
Many major employers, BayCare included, say they’ve been hesitant to require vaccines because they don‘t want to risk losing employees who refuse to take the shot at a time when staff and resources are already stretched thin.
Earlier this summer, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital became the only major hospital in the Bay Area to require its staff of around 3,000 to become fully vaccinated. A spokesperson says he was unaware of any employees quitting because of the policy.
Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Biden sharply criticized the roughly 80 million Americans who are not yet vaccinated, despite months of availability and incentives.
RELATED: Biden announces vaccine mandate for employers with more than 100 workers
"We’ve been patient. But our patience is wearing thin, and your refusal has cost all of us," he said, adding that the unvaccinated minority "can cause a lot of damage, and they are."
The expansive rules mandate that all employers with more than 100 workers require them to be vaccinated or test for the virus weekly, affecting about 80 million Americans. And the roughly 17 million workers at health facilities that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid also will have to be fully vaccinated.
Biden announced the new requirements in a Thursday afternoon address from the White House as part of a new "action plan" to address the latest rise in coronavirus cases and the stagnating pace of COVID-19 shots.
READ: Florida healthcare providers, companies to face vaccination requirement
After months of using promotions to drive the vaccination rate, Biden is taking a much firmer hand, as his aides blamed people who have not yet received shots for the sharp rise in cases that is killing more than 1,000 people per day and imperiling a fragile economic rebound.
In addition to the vaccination requirements, Biden moved to double federal fines for airline passengers who refuse to wear masks on flights or to maintain face-covering requirements on federal property in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.