Vaccine for private companies

US authorities are studying the possibility of introducing compulsory vaccination at the federal level. The head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Rochelle Walensky, told Fox News on Friday.

The host asked the CDC chief if she supported the idea of making vaccination compulsory at the federal government level. "The administration of US President Joe Biden is looking into this issue," Walensky noted.

"In general, I am in favour of more vaccination. Apart from the fact that we are studying these measures, I have nothing to add," she explained.

Walensky later posted on Twitter that she meant to introduce compulsory vaccination in all private companies as well as in some elements of the federal government. "There will be no compulsory vaccination for the people," she stressed. White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also said on Friday that the US administration was not currently considering introducing mandatory vaccination against the new coronavirus at the national level.

The CDCs on Tuesday recommended that fully vaccinated Americans in areas where the coronavirus is spreading rapidly "wear masks indoors and in public places" against the new coronavirus. In May, centre experts allowed fully vaccinated residents not to wear masks in most cases.

According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 34.9 million cases of the coronavirus have been identified in the US, and more than 612,900 people have died. The country ranks first in the world for both indicators.