One Minute Overview

Vaccine Hesitancy/Vaccine Passports

Enforcing Vaccine Mandates Is Messy Business - U.S. companies of all sizes have enacted vaccine requirements for employees in recent weeks. They are finding that setting a policy is more straightforward than enforcing it. Questions and complications are popping up as employees and managers apply the new rules to once-routine business activities such as travel, trade shows, office socializing and interactions with vendors and clients, executives say. The consulting and accounting firm Deloitte LLP recently told employees they will need to be vaccinated to attend voluntary workshops and events at the firm’s leadership training facility near Dallas, called Deloitte University.

Opinion | We Work at the A.C.L.U. Here’s What We Think About Vaccine Mandates. - Do vaccine mandates violate civil liberties? Some who have refused vaccination claim as much. We disagree. At the A.C.L.U., we are not shy about defending civil liberties, even when they are very unpopular. But we see no civil liberties problem with requiring Covid-19 vaccines in most circumstances. While the permissibility of requiring vaccines for particular diseases depends on several factors, when it comes to Covid-19, all considerations point in the same direction. The disease is highly transmissible, serious and often lethal; the vaccines are safe and effective; and crucially there is no equally effective alternative available to protect public health.

US university students face back-to-campus vaccine mandates -Legal precedent suggests that universities can mandate vaccinations, but not every COVID-19 vaccine has received full approval from the US Food and Drug Administration, leaving a legal grey area.

Draghi Says Italy Will Eventually Make Vaccine Compulsory - Italy will eventually make vaccination compulsory, Prime Minister Mario Draghi said at a press conference in Rome on Thursday. Italy will also start administering a third vaccine shot from later this month, Health Minister Roberto Speranza said, adding that the campaign will start from those with a weak immune system. Speranza stressed that vaccination is already required for health workers, and that this requirement could be expanded to other groups.

Vaccinations Mandatory for Barclays Staff in New York - Barclays Plc is the latest bank in the U.S. to keep unvaccinated staff at home for the time being. “As we continue inviting our colleagues back to our offices in New York, we made a decision to focus initially on those already vaccinated,” Barclays said in an emailed statement. Banks are bringing more staff back to their premises around the world after more than a year of working from home.

What can employers do if workers avoid COVID-19 vaccines? - What can employers do if workers avoid COVID-19 vaccines? They can require vaccination and fire employees who don't comply, or take other actions such as withholding company perks or charging extra for health insurance. Businesses for months have been encouraging workers to get vaccinated, in some cases offering incentives like time off or gift cards. But more are taking a harder stance and requiring vaccinations for any remaining holdouts, a push that has gained momentum since Pfizer’s vaccine recently received full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Coronavirus vaccine mandates are causing people to search for religious exemptions -The rules around religious exemptions for coronavirus vaccines vary widely, state by state, institution by institution. But experts on religious freedom court cases believe lawsuits will become more common as vaccine mandates become more prevalent. With no nationally consistent way of navigating religious exemptions, some churches have offered parishioners templates to download. Other leaders, however, have said they will not provide exemptions.

Vaccine passports linked to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in UK and Israel  - A new study from Imperial College London has found a link between COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and a perceived lack of free will over vaccine passports. The findings, taken from surveys of 1,358 people across the UK and Israel – two highly vaccinated countries – found that people who feel their sense of autonomy, or free will, is unmet by government incentives like vaccine passports are less likely to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

Mu Variant is a Variant of Interest
Is Mu variant of coronavirus vaccine resistant? WHO says it could be possible - The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the new coronavirus variant 'Mu' showed signs of possible resistance to vaccines. The global health body designated 'Mu' as a 'variant of interest' and is monitoring it closely, the UN health body said on Tuesday in its weekly bulletin.

New Covid strain Mu lands in UK with 55 cases in England so far - A new Covid mutation has found its way to the UK with 55 cases identified in England so far. The new strain, called Mu, was first detected in South America and has been labelled a variant of interest by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Mu, or B.1.621, was first identified in Colombia and cases have been recorded in South America and various European countries. The WHO said the variant has mutations suggesting it could be more resistant to vaccines but that more studies would be needed to examine this further.