As if the ongoing global supply chain crisis isn't enough to worry about, U.S. business leaders have another emerging concern: the Biden Administration's proposed vaccine mandates could exacerbate the ongoing labor crunch, some say, making it harder for them to staff up for the holiday season. Those in the retail industry are especially worried about the new rules, which would require all businesses with more than 100 employees to require vaccination or regular testing for all workers. "This is a difficult policy to implement," a retail industry lobbyist recently told CNBC. "It would be even more difficult during the holiday season."
Their concerns are, to some extent, understandable. Lots of companies—especially retail and retail-adjacent businesses, like shipping firms—count on hiring an army of seasonal staffers each fall and winter to deal with the sudden glut of demand. Given that lots of companies are already having trouble finding cheap labor, it's no wonder they're freaking out about the holidays.
At the same time, there's a reason that these new vaccine rules would come via the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA): they're meant to keep workers and their families safe. The virus spreads more readily in crowded, closed-in places like warehouses and retail stores, and if thousands of unvaccinated seasonal workers suddenly come into close contact with one another, it could lead to significant outbreaks. Companies have an obligation to keep their workers—even the seasonal ones—safe, and mandates with a testing option are a sound way to do just that.
Moreover, it's impossible to tell ahead of time whether a vaccine-plus-testing mandate would actually suppress seasonal hiring. Yes, we're in the middle of a labor crunch as millions of people decide the job they had before or during the pandemic no longer meets their needs. But companies that have already issued vaccine mandates have generally seen very few related departures; at United Airlines, for example, only 232 of its 67,000 U.S. workers, or about 0.3%, ultimately refused vaccination (of course, many of United's workers are well-paid and unionized, unlike many seasonal employees). There's even a chance that mandates could actually draw workers—personally, if I were in the market for a seasonal job, I would feel a heck of a lot more comfortable in a workplace where I knew the people around me were vaccinated or getting tested regularly.
For now, the Biden Administration hasn't said when the rule—which will take the form of an OSHA emergency temporary standard—will come into effect. When it does, it will almost certainly be challenged in court by corporations and states who see it as government overreach. But the White House shouldn't delay the move past the holiday season—especially given the amount of wintertime spread we witnessed last year—just because some companies claim they'd find it difficult to comply.
TODAY'S CORONAVIRUS OUTLOOK
About 503.5 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been shipped to various U.S. states as of last night, of which more than 413.6 million doses have been administered thus far, according to TIME's vaccine tracker. About 57.4% of Americans have been completely vaccinated.
More than 243.6 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 1 a.m. E.T. today, and more than 4.9 million people have died. On Oct. 24, there were 302,701 new cases and 4,041 new deaths confirmed globally.
Here's how the world as a whole is currently trending:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
And here's every country that has reported over 4.7 million cases:
The U.S. had recorded more than 45.4 million coronavirus cases as of 1 a.m. E.T. today. Nearly 736,000 people have died. On Oct. 24, there were 16,796 new cases and 141 new deaths confirmed in the U.S.
Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of Oct. 25, 1 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
Moderna's vaccine is safe and effective in children six and older, the company said today as it seeks regulatory authorization for use in adolescents. The data, which have not yet been published in a medical journal, comes as U.S. regulators appear set to authorize Pfizer-BioNTech shots for those five and older this week. That Pfizer seems ahead in the youth vaccination race—Moderna's shot is still not approved for those younger than 18—is a matter of bureaucratic timing: Pfizer submitted its relevant data earlier than Moderna, meaning regulators have had more time to chew them over.
As U.S. regulators are on the verge of authorizing Pfizer's shots for kids as young as five, China has OK’d vaccines for those three and older, the Associated Press reports. China has largely been using two domestically made vaccines: the Sinovac and Sinopharm shots. Getting the COVID-19 shot will be mandatory for many Chinese youth.
In yet another sign that the coronavirus shots are both effective and safe, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study published Friday found that, between Dec. 2020 and July 2021, vaccinated people had lower rates of non-coronavirus mortality compared to unvaccinated people. The takeaway? "There is no increased risk for mortality among ... vaccine recipients," per the CDC.
Singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran will perform several planned concerts from home after testing positive for COVID-19, he announced on Instagram yesterday. "Apologies to anyone I've let down," wrote Sheeran, whose new album, =, is out Friday.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com. If you have specific questions you'd like us to answer, please send them to covidquestions@time.com.
If you were forwarded this and want to sign up to receive it daily, click here.
Today's newsletter was written by Alex Fitzpatrick and edited by Elijah Wolfson.
沒有留言:
張貼留言