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This week’s R&D covers COVID-19 vaccine mandates.  While 57% of the U.S. population has received one variation of a COVID-19 vaccine, the Biden administration believes that the number can be higher with employer mandates.  States like California have issued a mandate for schoolchildren when vaccines become available for them, while other states like Kentucky and Texas are moving to pass legislation prohibiting vaccine mandates.  Mandates are becoming problematic as pilots, healthcare workers, teachers, and others are refusing to get vaccinated, creating spillover effects in essential institutions.