A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction in connection with a lawsuit filed by the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The lawsuit challenged a requirement that hospitals that receive federal funds make sure their employees received the COVID-19 vaccine by January 4th.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services had issued the requirement this fall for health care workers at facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid to be fully vaccinated. A statement from the White House said the rule was to help meet the goal of "protecting workers, preventing hospitalization, saving lives, and strengthening the economy".
Several states sued to block the order, and judges began ruling in their favor. The ruling in the Texas case was issued by U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk.
"This is a win for liberty," said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. "The federal government does not have the ability to make health decisions for hard-working Americans."
Hospitals will still be able to adopt vaccine policies for their employees, but the vaccine won't be a federal requirement.
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