The Association of American Medical Colleges urged medical schools and teaching hospitals to enact Covid-19 vaccine mandates for their employees, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from the District of Columbia and Indiana.

• District of Columbia: The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) last week released a statement urging all medical schools and teaching hospitals require their employees be vaccinated against Covid-19. David Skorton, president and CEO of the organization, said vaccinating health care workers would help save lives and that it's especially important as variants and new cases of Covid-19 occur. AAMC's recommendation follows a call from the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America and six other medical coalitions to make vaccination against Covid-19 a requirement for employment at hospitals. (Gooch, Becker's Healthcare Review, 7/19)

• District of Columbia: Millions of unused Covid-19 vaccines across the United States are set to expire and go to waste, according to several state health departments that spoke with STAT News. Federal data shows that 52.36 million doses originally distributed to states have still not been used, and Jennifer Kates, director of global health at the Kaiser Family Foundation, estimates that at least half is excess supply. Although several state health departments have requested the federal government redistribute their unused supplies to other countries that are struggling with vaccine access, federal officials have so far rejected the requests, citing legal and logistical issues, STAT News reports. (Goldhill, STAT News, 7/20)

• Indiana: U.S. District Judge Damon Leichty on Monday ruled that Indiana University is allowed to require its students and employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19, rejecting a request from eight students who had filed a lawsuit against the school to block the requirement. In his ruling, Leichty stated, "The Fourteenth Amendment permits Indiana University to pursue a reasonable and due process of vaccination in the legitimate interest of public health for its students, faculty, and staff." James Bopp, a lawyer for the students, said he would appeal the ruling to block the university's policy from being implemented. Currently, around 400 universities have enacted Covid-19 vaccination mandates, spurring lawsuits from students on several of these campuses. (Davies, Associated Press, 7/19; Saul, New York Times, 7/19)