Covid Fight Shifts Into High Speed ​​As Delta Variant Rises

Already, dozens of employers nationwide have instituted worker vaccination mandates, and others announced their plans on Wednesday, including Amtrak, the New York Stock Exchange and McDonald’s.

United on Friday became the first major airline to require its 67,000 US employees to be vaccinated this fall. Kaiser Permanente, one of the largest nonprofit health care plans in the country, put in place a vaccination mandate two weeks ago.

Nearly 1,500 hospitals (Kaiser has 40) now require their employees to be vaccinated, according to the American Hospital Association. State and local authorities in California, New York and the District of Columbia have announced vaccination requirements for officials.

In a letter to employees, Kirby and Chairman Brett Hart told employees that after sending dozens of condolence letters to the families of United employees who have died from Covid-19, “we are determined to do all we can to trying to keep another United family from receiving this letter.

About 90% of United’s pilots and nearly 80% of its flight attendants have been vaccinated. Employees must be vaccinated before October 25 under penalty of dismissal.

Other airlines have shut down before a worker’s tenure, although the industry continues to fight the pandemic. Southwest said on Wednesday that the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant has resulted in increased cancellations and reduced bookings.

Still, the CEO of Southwest Airlines, as well as the CEOs of American Airlines and Delta Air Lines have told their employees they don’t need vaccinations, CNN reported.

Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said the airline “will continue to strongly encourage” workers to be vaccinated, but “nothing has changed” on the requirements. Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian told Good Day New York that 75% of its workforce had already been vaccinated and that those numbers were increasing despite the fact that they did not have a global mandate. ‘company.

Delta Airlines

in May became the first major transporter to require that all new recruits be vaccinated. American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said the airline was giving workers vaccinated at the end of August an extra day of vacation in 2022.

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom said schools must be in full compliance with the state’s mandate by Oct. 15.

“To give parents confidence that their children are safe as schools resume full in-person learning, we urge all school staff to get immunized. Vaccinations are the way we will end this pandemic, ”he said in a statement.

Several of the state’s major school districts have already issued similar requirements, including the San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, and Long Beach Unified school districts.

Los Angeles Unified, California’s largest school district, has required weekly Covid testing, but has not required vaccinations. The state’s more than 1,000 school districts employ more than 300,000 teachers, who teach approximately 6.1 million students.

Despite having administered more than 46 million doses and 77% of eligible people having received at least one dose, California is seeing “an increasing number of people who have refused to be vaccinated and who are admitted to intensive care and who are dying “, largely because of the Delta variant. , the state said. The seven-day average of new cases in California is over 11,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Amtrak’s vaccination policy applies to 18,000 employees, who must be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing. “Because vaccines are the best way to protect ourselves, our families and our customers, we have made important decisions regarding Amtrak’s immunization requirements,” CEO William Flynn wrote in a note.

“Many employees have shared their reasons for fear of receiving the Covid-19 vaccine,” Flynn said. “We understand these concerns and encourage everyone to consult a healthcare practitioner and seek facts from reliable sources. »Employees must provide proof of vaccination by November 1.

The memo also states that fully vaccinated employees who must take quarantine leave after testing positive for Covid will receive salary protection, backdated to August 1, but unvaccinated employees who must take quarantine leave will not have not the same protection. Additionally, Amtrak said employees who worked remotely would not have to return to their offices in person until Nov. 1, an extension due to the spread of the Delta variant.

“While we recognize that this is a personal decision for each of us, we believe it is in the best long-term interest for our colleagues, our customers and our business,” said Flynn.

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