Pennsylvania Governor Wolf’s Administration has given some state employees the choice of being vaccinated against COVID-19 or tested weekly, calling it the “vaccine or test” requirement. If the covered individuals are not fully vaccinated by Sept. 7, 2021, they will be required to undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. In addition, all new external hires for the facilities covered by the policy must be vaccinated before commencing employment, starting Sept. 7. According to the administration, the policy will affect approximately 25,000 employees working in 24-hour-operated state facilities, which include state hospitals, state homes for people with intellectual disabilities, veterans’ homes, state correctional facilities and community health centers (NOTE: this is NOT referencing FQHCs—this is what the state department of health uses to refer to their network of public health nurses).
