SW Iowa Times

A federal judge blocked federal officials from requiring the COVID-19 vaccine for health care workers in Iowa and other nine states on Monday, Nov. 29.

Matthew Schelp, a U.S. district judge in Missouri, effectively blocked a potential mandate from the federal government that would implement a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for health care workers in 10 states, according to the Des Moines Register. 

"Federal court on Monday halted the Biden admin COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health workers at hospitals the 10 states that sued to block the administration’s Nov. 5 rule. Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming," said Twitter user DKMassi in a tweet on Monday. 

Judge Schlep argued that the mandates would impose an unprecedented demand for vaccines that could allow the federal government to control the private medical decisions of Americans, according to the Des Moines Register. The states that originally opposed the vaccine mandate had argued that it would encroach on states’ rights while exceeding the federal government's authority, according to The Hill.

Despite fierce opposition from 10 states and numerous others, the administration of President Joe Biden has continued to push that the mandate's good would outweigh the bad and is a necessary factor in slowing the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S., especially as new variants continue to appear, according to The Hill.