challenging us. reporter: nearly two weeks after the supreme court knocked down president biden s vaccine mandate for large companies, the labor department today officially withdrawing those vaccination and testing requirements. though the biden administration says 98% of federal workers are already vaccinated. and tonight, one man in boston is reportedly facing dire consequences for not getting the vaccine. the family of dj ferguson says the 31-year-old father desperately needs a heart transplant, but is now ineligible because he has not gotten the shot. the hospital saying, like other transplant programs in the united states, the covid vaccin is one of several vaccines and life style behaviors required for transplant candidates in the mass general brigham system, in order to create both the best chance for a successful operation and also the patient s survival after transplantation. medical ethicist dr. arthur caplan says this is not about discrimination, but about your vaccinati
it s a choice, a clear choice. a 31-year-old man in need of a heart transplant is no longer eligible for the procedure because he refuses to get the covid vaccine. brigham hospital in boston say it is one of several vaccines required for transplant candidates in the mass general brigham system in order to create both the best chance for a successful operation and also the patient s survival after transplantation. candidates must receive the hepatitis b and flu vaccines, follow other healthy behaviors and demonstrate they can commit to taking the required medications following transplant. now here s what the man s father says explaining why his son refuses to get vaccinated. my son is on the edge of death. he is sticking to his guns. his heart has deteriorated so much to the point where it won t
months this summer the pain so severe, she could barely walk. what did the delay in surgery cost you in terms of your physical well-being? strength. the ability to move around, to participate in my life your nerves have been pinches for a year and a half longer than it should have been. her surgeon says the delay made her surgery more complicated and recovery more difficult. she is one of millions of americans who have delayed treatment through the pandemic for everything from diabetes to hypertension to heart ailments many because they were scared of covid are now flooding into hospitals. all of our hospitals and all of those beds are full or over capacity. reporter: doctors at the 12 hospitals that make up the mass general brigham system are slammed, dealing with a backlog of patients who had delayed care