A federal appeals court on Monday turned down an attempt by President Joe Biden’s administration to lift a preliminary injunction against its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers. The Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals rejected the bid, which had been made in a motion by Department of Justice lawyers. The ruling was unsigned and did not contain an explanation for the rejection. U.S. Circuit Judge Jane Kelly, an Obama nominee, said she would have granted the motion. The mandate in question was issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in November. It required every facility that receives Medicare or Medicaid funding to force workers to get a vaccine by Jan. 4, 2022, affecting some 17 million workers. But the rule was blocked by a preliminary injunction from U.S. District Judges Matthew Schelp that was later expanded by another Trump nominated judge. The judges said CMS likely …