Zero Hour Health + Zedic Newsletter - Tuesday, March 16th
Is the AstraZeneca vaccine safe? Why is COVID data missing so many people?
March 16, 2021
ZHH Updates
Introducing Our Vaccine ChatLine for Employees
We know that 30% of employees are undecided or delaying getting their COVID shot as a result of vaccine hesitancy. Our new Vaccine ChatLine was developed to answer employees’ questions about the vaccine and provide them with good information from a reliable source, with the goal of helping them make informed decisions about their vaccination. Click here to book a demo!
The CDC said that employees don’t need to be excluded for close contact exposure once fully vaccinated. Did they provide guidance on whether employers need to require proof of vaccination?
No, the CDC hasn’t provided guidance for employers on this. This is a difficult question and, in part, why many of our clients turned vaccine tracking over to us. This is definitely a question that should be discussed with your legal counsel.
According to our counsel, it is best to have proof of vaccination in the event of workplace exposure or litigation. The only guidance on this subject is from the EEOC who said , requesting proof of receipt of a COVID vaccination is not a disability-related inquiry, though “if an employer requires employees to provide proof that they have received a COVID-19 vaccination from a pharmacy or their own health care provider, the employer may want to warn the employee not to provide any medical information as part of the proof in order to avoid implicating the ADA.”
Again this is a bit tricky, so we do recommend running this by your counsel.
Are all sanitizers created equal? What should I be using?
No! The sanitizer that you use makes a difference; some don’t kill COVID while others don’t kill Noro. When choosing a product, make sure it’s EPA approved for killing the SARS-CoV-2 virus and Noro, too. While not every product included on the two lists is the same, there are a number of them that overlap. We definitely encourage you to invest in a product that kills both because, unfortunately, neither of these guys seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.
Are you hearing that there is some employee hesitation about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine? Why?
Yes, in part because of the perception that it’s less effective than Moderna or Pfizer’s vaccines. We will continue to stress that the J&J vaccine is still incredibly effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID. Anecdotally, it appears that some people prefer the J&J vaccine because it uses more traditional delivery methods and is just one shot. Either way, we recommend taking whichever is available to you. The best vaccine is the one in your arm.
Some states seem to be moving to aged-based vaccination eligibility. Does that mean that food service worker vaccination eligibility won’t be specifically designated?
It really depends on the state. In places like Connecticut and Maine, age-based eligibility rules for COVID vaccinations are forcing some essential workers, as well as those with serious medical disabilities, to wait longer for their chance at the shot. In others, age-based eligibility goes hand-in-hand with occupation-based eligibility.
States’ guidelines and eligibility requirements are constantly evolving based on resources, demand and public pressure. A bit of good news: eligibility seems to be broadening and many states have reduced the age for eligibility in the last few days. While appointments remain hard to get in some states, they are much easier in others. Alaska and Mississippi have even opened vaccination up to all adults in their state!
