As the spread of the Delta variant exacerbates the COVID-19 pandemic, companies are increasingly moving toward requiring staffers to be vaccinated. Here’s a look at those stories and more.
As the spread of the Delta variant exacerbates the COVID-19 pandemic, companies are increasingly moving toward requiring staffers to be vaccinated. Here’s a look at those stories and more.
Pfizer Requiring All U.S. Employees and Contractors to Be Vaccinated
In a trend that appears to be gaining momentum, Pfizer indicated it will require all U.S. employees and contracts to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing.
Pfizer spokesperson Pamela Eisele told CNBC the initiative will “best protect the health and safety of our colleagues and the communities we serve. Outside the U.S., the company is strongly encouraging all colleagues who are able to do so in their countries get vaccinated. Colleagues who have medical conditions or religious objections will be able to seek accommodations. Colleagues are still required to adhere to all COVID-19 state, local and Pfizer safety procedures while engaged in Pfizer work.”
Genentech Requiring Staffers to be Vaccinated
Genentech, based in South San Francisco but part of Swiss-based Roche, joined the list of companies that are requiring employees to be vaccinated. The company stated it would “follow the science” to help fight the pandemic. The company indicated that about 80% of staffers in the U.S. have already self-reported as being fully vaccinated.
According to Genentech, “Our decision is grounded in science and driven by the imperative to protect our people and sustain our research, development and manufacturing of essential medicines for patients facing serious and life-threatening diseases, including COVID-19.”
WHO Calls for Moratorium Until at Least September on COVID-19 Boosters
The World Health Organization (WHO) called for a moratorium on COVID-19 vaccine booster shots until at least September to allow countries that are lagging in supply to catch up. The WHO director-general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said it was “unacceptable” that high-income countries that have used most of the supply of vaccine would consider using more of it while most low-income countries have barely started. High-income countries have provided close to 100 doses for every 100 people while low-income countries are about 1.5 doses for every 100. The WHO called for a moratorium until at least the end of September, which should “enable at least 10% of the population of every country to be vaccinated,” Ghebreyesus said.
Flu Vaccine Associated with Milder COVID-19
A study published in PLOS One found that COVID-19 patients who had received the flu vaccine six months to two weeks before diagnosis had less severe COVID-19. Specifically, the study observed fewer cases of sepsis, stroke, and to some extent, deep vein thrombosis (DVTs) as well as intensive care or emergency department admissions. The study was based on electronic medical record data of 37,377 COVID-19 patients who received the flu vaccine and 37,377 who didn’t in January 2021. The data came from 56 healthcare organizations, mostly in the U.S.
mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Don’t Trigger Arthritis Flares
A study in Arthritis & Rheumatology concluded that mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 (Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna) do not regularly cause rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease like arthritis to flare. And if the flares do happen, they’re not severe. The research evaluated 1,377 patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease, including arthritis and lupus.
“This study highlights that most of our rheumatic patients tolerated the vaccine well with mostly having local reactions such as injection site pain, which was quite reassuring, but most importantly, we did not observe any severe flares of their underlying autoimmune disease,” said co-senior author Dr. Julie J. Paik, of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Spike in COVID-19 Cases in Children
The American Academy of Pediatrics reported that as of July 29, 2021, almost 4.2 million children had tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic started. Perhaps more troubling, 72,000 of them were in the last week, which is almost double the 39,000 from the previous week. In one week in late June, only about 79,000 people of all ages in the U.S. tested positive.
USA Today reports that two children died of COVID-19 over the weekend at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.
“It’s important for everyone to know that we’re seeing sicker kids, we’re seeing more kids be admitted that are sick with actual COVID illness, and that these kids, some of them are in our intensive care unit and some of them are intubated,” said Dr. Le Bonheur’s Nick Hysmith, a pediatric infectious disease specialist.
U.S. Government Planning That Almost All Foreign Visitors Be Vaccinated
The Biden administration reported this week that it is making plans for a phased approach to easing travel restrictions for foreign visitors to the U.S., but that it will eventually lead to all visits, with some exceptions, needing to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The timeline and details of the plan have not been released yet. Currently, all visitors to the U.S., whether vaccinated or not, must show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of air travel to the country. Presently, non-U.S. residents who have been to China, the European Schengen area, the UK, Ireland, Brazil, South Africa and India in the previous 14 days are prohibited from entering the U.S.
