Most US companies could demand COVID-19 vaccine in the coming months: survey

August 27 (Reuters) – More than half of U.S. companies plan to impose COVID-19 vaccine warrants in the workplace by the end of the year, with nearly a quarter considering vaccination a condition for employment, according to a national survey of about 1,000 employers.

Faced with a resurgence of COVID-19 cases, spurred on by the highly contagious coronavirus Delta variant, which has strained the U.S. healthcare system, many companies have come out with mask warrants and changed their vaccination policies.

Google’s parents, Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O), Walmart Inc (WMT.N) and Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N), are among the growing list of employers who require some or all of the staff to get the vaccine. Read more

The survey, which surveyed 961 U.S. companies that together employ about 9.7 million people, found that by the fourth quarter of 2021, more than 52% of employers could have one or more mandate requirements. of vaccine, an increase over the current 21%.

According to the survey conducted by Willis Towers Watson between August 18 and 25, the mandates could range from requiring vaccination for staff to access common areas such as cafeterias to requiring vaccination for all employees.

Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the Pfizer Inc. (PFE.N) / BioNTech SE COVID-19 vaccine, an important step that could help speed up vaccine mandates. to the United States.

“Hopefully there will be even more entrepreneurs instituting vaccine mandates after FDA approval for the Pfizer vaccine,” said Jeff Levin-Scherz, population health leader Willis Towers Watson.

The survey showed that the number of employers following if employees have completed vaccination was increasing, and there are more companies considering implementing financial incentives for vaccination.

About 62 percent of the U.S. population has received at least one dose, while more than half or about 52 percent are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Tuesday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .

Reports from Mrinalika Roy to Bengaluru; edition by Ankur Banerjee and Shinjini Ganguli

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