American media reports that, with the rapidly worsening epidemic and the introduction of vaccination obligations by major employers, the number of vaccinations in the US has started to increase again. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has asked private business owners to mandate vaccinations. According to the White House, the past week was the best in almost two months in this respect.
“Last week was our best since the beginning of June in terms of the number of first injections,” White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said on Sunday. According to the data of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 400,000 previously unvaccinated people reported themselves to vaccination points in the last 7 days. Even at the beginning of July, this number was close to 200,000.
According to experts cited by the Washington Post, this is due to two factors: a new wave of infections driven by the Delta variant of the coronavirus and the increasing adoption of vaccination requirements by employers. On Friday, for the first time since February, the number of new coronavirus infections in the US exceeded 100,000, and experts predict that this number may rise to 300,000. still in August.
American companies introduce compulsory vaccinations
Last week, a number of companies and institutions made it mandatory to vaccinate against COVID-19 – or undergo regular testing – for their employees. President Joe Biden announced mandatory vaccination for federal employees, and the governors of California and New York had previously done so. Some of the largest private companies followed suit.
The vaccination requirement has been announced by, among others, the largest private employer in the USA – the Walmart supermarket chain employing almost 2 million employees, as well as Disney company, Google, Facebook and Netflix.
Vaccination against COVID-19MAK REMISSA / PAP / EPA
$ 100 to get vaccinated
CDC data show that 57.9% have been fully vaccinated so far. people over 12 years of age and 60.4 percent. adults. According to a July study commissioned by the Associated Press, about half of previously unvaccinated Americans categorically refuse to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
And according to a YouGov poll for The Economist, the biggest potential motivator for getting vaccinated by the unconvinced would be full approval of the vaccines by the Food and Drug Administration, expected in early fall. Other reasons include receiving a $ 100 payment for the injection (8% of those surveyed would do so) and an employer requirement (also 8%). The White House last week called for a $ 100 incentive from the state. So far, similar solutions have been used in New Mexico, Arkansas, Maryland and West Virginia.
Cuomo urges business owners to require vaccination
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Monday that he is asking private business owners to require COVID-19 vaccination. He also said that if the number of coronavirus infections did not start to decline, he would consider making vaccinations compulsory for nursing home workers, teachers and health workers.
He also announced that public transport workers will have to be vaccinated or tested regularly. The governor encourages New York City councils and school district boards in areas with high coronavirus infection rates to also impose such a requirement on their subordinates.
Main photo source: MAK REMISSA / PAP / EPA