Switching from carrot to stick, doctor comments on companies making COVID-19 shots compulsory

Record ID: 1631004

  • Title: Switching from carrot to stick, doctor comments on companies making COVID-19 shots compulsory
  • Date: 6th August 2021
  • Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (AUGUST 6, 2021) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) WEBMD CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, DR. JOHN WHYTE, SAYING: "So the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the EEOC, as well as a legal opinion by the U.S. Department of Justice, have both said that companies can require employees to be vaccinated, even under an emergency use authorization by the FDA. Now, the key is that there needs to be an exception policy for medical or bona fide religious reasons, that's how they describe it. And you can't really ask for additional information, meaning you require a vaccination, and if someone gets a medical exemption, you can't be asking lots of questions as to why didn't you get it, the extent of your medical condition, et cetera. So that's really the key."
  • Embargoed: 20th August 2021 20:49
  • Keywords: CNN COVID-19 shots compulsory Texas hospital U.S. companies U.S. employees United Airlines vaccinations vaccine
  • Location: VARIOUS
  • City: VARIOUS
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Company News Markets,Economic Events,United States
  • Reuters ID: LVA007EP591DZ
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: An increasing number of U.S. companies have made COVID-19 shots compulsory for U.S. employees.
    United Airlines on Friday (August 6) became the first U.S. airline to require all its domestic employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
    News media company CNN has terminated three of its employees for coming to the office unvaccinated against the COVID-19 last week, according to a memo sent to staff internally on Thursday (August 5).
    A resurgence of COVID-19 in the United States due to the more infectious Delta variant has prompted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reinstate indoor mask guidance for most vaccinated Americans.
    According to the preliminary results of an ongoing pulse survey of more than 200 American employers launched on July 19 by consultants Mercer, 14% now require staff to be vaccinated in order to work at a company site.
    Tech giants such as Alphabet Inc's Google and Facebook Inc are among firms who have told all U.S. employees to be inoculated against COVID-19 before stepping into offices or onto campuses to help protect the health and safety of colleagues.
    Some other major industries like U.S. automakers have reinstated mask requirements but declined to mandate vaccines for employees.
    As companies are starting to demand vaccinations, liability insurers are scaling back the cover they offer companies ahead of an expected wave of discrimination claims as employers call staff back to their desks after 18 months of pandemic-induced home working.
    There have been around 2,950 COVID-19-related employment lawsuits in the United States since the start of the pandemic, ranging from disputes over remote working to workplace safety and discrimination, law firm Fisher Phillips says.
    U.S. vaccination-related claims amount to less than 5% of total COVID-19 suits - or fewer than 150 - said Kevin Troutman, partner and co-chair of Fisher Phillips' Healthcare Industry Team.
    But that is expected to rise.
    A number of U.S. employers with such policies have already faced court hearings.
    Workers at a Texas hospital alleged the vaccinations are experimental and that staff are being used as "human guinea pigs".
    The case was dismissed in June and some lawyers say this type of case is unlikely to be viable.
    But workers could have protection if they are unable to be vaccinated for medical or religious reasons - unless this would pose an "undue hardship" on the business, the U.S. Insurance Information Institute says.
    Vulnerable workers could also sue employers because a lack of a mandatory vaccination policy puts them at risk.
    However, even if cases are thrown out, defense costs would fall to the employers - and their insurers.
    (Production: Aleksandra Michalska)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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