Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine this week was approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for people 16 and older – a key hurdle for nearly 30% of adults who have yet to take a single dose. A recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) found that three in ten unvaccinated adults claimed they would be more likely to get vaccinated if one of the vaccines currently authorized for emergency use were to receive full approval from the FDA.
The Pfizer vaccine first received emergency use authorization in December last year. The more contagious COVID-19 Delta variant is spreading quickly according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and as of last week, the average number of daily cases had reached levels not seen since February. About 70% of all those eligible have received at least one shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and around 60% are fully vaccinated.
Carriers looking to shield their employees from resurgent COVID-19 cases while striving to step up recruiting efforts during a labor shortage need to exercise caution, experts say, otherwise they risk losing people to ill-advised health policies instead. Businesses can also impose their own vaccine and mask-wearing policies, according to Veriforce Master Trainer James Junkin, so long as they don’t conflict with any laws.
[Related: CDC recommending masks again, trucking volumes should remain strong]
Some companies have already rolled out mandatory vaccination policies for their employees including Walmart, Walt Disney, Google, Facebook and Uber according to The New York Times. Wednesday Delta Air Lines became the first public company to levy a penalty, imposing a $200 monthly surcharge beginning Nov. 1 on unvaccinated employees that are enrolled in Delta’s account-based healthcare plan "to address the financial risk the decision to not vaccinate is creating for our company," Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a memo to employees. Effective immediately, unvaccinated employees are required to wear masks in all indoor Delta settings.
