When Can You Get the COVID-19 Vaccine at Work?
A growing number of companies are offering their employees incentives to get their COVID-19 vaccines, such as paid time off and free rides to the vaccine location.
Experts say it is only a matter of time before workers will have access to on-site vaccines at their job or business.
According to CNBC, getting America's workforce vaccinated will help the country reach herd immunity. According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading epidemiologist, that means we will need at least 75% of the population vaccinated.
Some of the companies offering workers time off and extra pay to get their vaccines include Target, Instacart, and McDonalds. Others, such as Amazon, Uber, and Door Dash are asking state officials to provide vaccines for their employees.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently stated in its COVID-19 protection guidelines that employers should make "a COVID-19 vaccine or vaccination series available at no cost to all eligible employees." OSHA further recommends employees provide information and training on the benefits and safety of vaccinations.
Experts say, distribution is the major factor holding back getting vaccines into the private sector right now.
"We are still in a stage of distribution where it may be difficult to do that, but I do think we will see some large companies go down that path," said Laura Boudreau, an economics professor at Columbia Business School who specializes in labor rights.
Boudreau adds, many large companies faced criticism over how they treated their employees during the pandemic, according to The Detroit News. Those challenges produce a strong incentive for the companies to now do the right thing and get their workers vaccinated, she said.
"A lot of them have had to defend their reputations of how they are treating their employees during the pandemic," she added.
According to CNBC, a recent survey by the consulting firm Willis Towers Watson found nearly 80% of employers said they would investigate ways to provide vaccines to employees, and 28% said they would consider purchasing vaccines privately.
"Employers almost universally are looking at ways to make it easier to get vaccinated," said Jeff Levin-Scherz, assistant professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, and an executive at Willis Towers Watson.
The survey found, companies with high-risk workforces or those that deal mostly with the public, will have the best status to offer their employees COVID-19 vaccines. It is ultimately up to each state to determine the distribution ladder for COVID-19 vaccines. But with the current lag in distribution, vaccinating the private sector might take months.
"As long as vaccine remains in short supply, most employers are not going to be trying to cut the line," said Levin-Scherz, according to CNBC.
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