• In today’s Recommendations for Industry, we discuss the need for a vaccination plan as office workers return to the workplace, and what some businesses are doing. Read more below.
• Global COVID deaths in 2021 have topped all of last year's. COVID-19 deaths in 2021 worldwide have surpassed the total number of COVID-19 deaths in all of 2020, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of Johns Hopkins data yesterday. As of Jun 10, 1,884,146 people have died of COVID-19 in 2021, compared with the 1,880,510 in 2020.
  • South America was the hardest hit continent and concerns rise in Africa about case surge and vaccine supply.
  • As wealthy nations are seeing daily new cases and deaths trend downwards, the pandemic is intensifying in Asia and Latin America where new, highly transmissible variants are spreading. This is largely driven by the difference in vaccination rates across the regions. (WSJ)
• G-7 leaders are planning to donate one billion COVID-19 vaccines to poorer nations, according to CNBC today.

• A large study finds the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine to be about 90% effective.

• A recent FDA review concluded that the J&J vaccine is safe and effective when stored at standard refrigeration temperatures for at least 4.5 months. The extended shelf life comes after state officials warned that a large number of J&J shots would go to waste as vaccination rates decline. While the J&J shot was expected to be critical in expanding vaccine access in low income and rural areas, only 11 million Americans have gotten the J&J vaccine, compared to the over 129 million who received Pfizer or Moderna shots. 
• A CDC-led surveillance study of US children during the first wave of the pandemic found that multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) was a rare complication associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, incidence was significantly higher in non-White racial and ethnic groups.
• Most severe COVID patient autopsies showed muscle inflammation. autopsies of 43 hospitalized COVID patients and 11 patients hospitalized for other health issues in Germany, those with COVID-19 were associated with more skeletal muscle inflammation, according to a study in JAMA Neurology.

• According to a BBC report, a headache, sore throat and runny nose are now the most commonly reported symptoms linked to Covid infection in the UK, researchers say. Prof Tim Spector, who runs the Zoe Covid Symptom study, says catching the Delta variant can feel “more like a bad cold” for younger people. “This variant seems to be working slightly differently,” he says. Chills, loss of appetite, headache and muscle aches were together most strongly linked with being infected, alongside classic symptoms.
• A study from the U.K. found that between December 2020 and May 2021, individuals who got two doses of the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine were 79 percent and 80 percent less likely to get COVID, respectively. Read the study.
• The World Health Organization has given emergency authorization to two of China’s vaccines — one from the state-owned company Sinopharm, and the other from Sinovac, a private company based in Beijing. But the Chinese vaccines have come under scrutiny after cases rose in places like Bahrain, Mongolia and Seychelles where large percentages of the population had been inoculated with the Sinopharm vaccine.

• The FDA tells Johnson & Johnson that about 60 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine produced at the Emergent BioSolutions Baltimore factory cannot be used because of possible contamination. FDA plans to allow about 10 million doses to be distributed in the US or sent to other countries, with a warning that regulators cannot guarantee that the company followed good manufacturing practices.
• As infections rise, England braces for delay in reopening’s. Restrictions on social contact are expected to remain in place for a few more weeks because of rising infections due to the delta COVID-19 variant. With the variant estimated to be 60% more contagious, British scientists have urged the prime minister to err on the side of caution and postpone plans to lift most coronavirus restrictions in England on June 21. There is growing speculation that the rules will stay in effect at least until July 19.
• Companies Desperate to Reopen Ask: What’s Your Vaccination Status? While many companies are planning to require office workers to return soon, they also are puzzling over what to do about vaccines – whether to mandate, encourage, cajole or bribe them?
  • Most companies are hoping to avoid requiring vaccines. EEOC says they can, but chief executives fear vaccine mandates would lead to lawsuits, invite political upheaval and be hard to enforce. But they are also worried about safety and the potential for an outbreak to force a company to retrench on masking and social distancing policies, making it even harder to get back to normal.
  • Nearly a third of companies have yet to develop any vaccine policy, according to a survey of 770 companies conducted by Tinypulse.

Public Health & Food Safety:

• Food banks welcome $1 billion investment by USDA. USDA refocused its efforts to tackle hunger, shutting down the Farmers to Families Food Box program and instead focusing on existing distribution channels for charitable food and investing $1 billion to support food banks. The aid includes $500 million to purchase nutritious, domestically produced food for state food bank networks through The Emergency Food Assistance Program. Another $400 million will go toward purchases aimed at strengthening local and regional food systems, and the final $100 million is earmarked for operational costs.
• Report shows reasons for concern about animal operations near produce – In a new report, the FDA continues to express concerns about farm animal operations close by and adjacent to produce growing fields, specifically peach orchards this time. The report, released June 11, outlines data from an investigation into a 2020 Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak linked to whole fresh peaches that sickened 101 people across 17 states, including 28 hospitalizations. It appears to be the first time a Salmonella outbreak has been linked to peaches, according to federal health officials.

Do You Have a COVID-19 Worker Vaccination Plan in Place?

As stated in the last COVID-19 Key Point above, companies are beginning to ask workers to return to the office, but according to New York Times published TinyPulse survey of HR leaders and managers on organization vaccine status, only about half have a plan in place either encouraging (48%) or mandating (7%) vaccination; another 15% “plan to” encourage (9%) or mandate (6%) them. But nearly 1/3 have no vaccine policy at all.

As organizations bring back workers, the risks of COVID-19 transmission risks increase, particularly with the heightened transmission rates of the Delta variant, so it is critical that companies make decisions and set policies on vaccines in order to protect workers – and the business.

While some employers may be hesitant to mandate vaccines fearing legal repercussions, the EEOC has stated that employers can require “all employees physically entering the workplace to be vaccinated for COVID-19,” as long as employers comply with EEO considerations. Additionally, last week a U.S. District Judge upheld Houston Methodist Hospital's policy mandating employee vaccinations, dismissing the lawsuit brought by 117 workers over its requirement that they be vaccinated.

While the decision to mandate, encourage, or incent employees to be vaccinated will vary company to company, it is critical that a decision be made, a plan created, and rationale provided. As TAG discussed in our Friday, June 11, Recommendations for Industry, protecting your workers while abiding by OSHA’s new requirements leaves businesses with only three options – maintaining all COVID-19 worker protections, requiring verification of vaccine status, or mandating vaccines for all workers. (Read the article here.)

It’s not an easy decision, but having your vaccine plan to ensure duty of care for all workers is essential. If you’re not sure the direction you should go, give TAG a call. We can help.

• In Friday’s Recommendations for Industry, we OSHA’s new guidance on worker COVID-19 protections and the three options TAG sees as possible for businesses. Read more here.
• The U.S. is increasingly unlikely to meet Biden’s July 4^th vaccination goal of having 70% of Americans receiving the at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
• Fully vaccinated Canadians and permanent residents in Canada may soon no longer need to quarantine in a hotel upon return. However, returning individuals would still be required to have a COVID-19 test upon arrival and isolate until test is returned as negative.
• Currently, the Delta COVID-19 variant makes up 6% of all US COVID-19 cases.
• OSHA has updated its guidance for worker protection, specifically in higher-risk workplaces (as in the food and agriculture industry). We discuss this in our Recommendations for Industry
• J&J has released a statement indicating that they have received FDA approval to increase storage time of their vaccine from 3 months to 4.5 months. Healthcare professionals may check the expiration dates of vaccines they have on-hand on J&J’s site.
• Excess deaths per 100K population (in the G7) nations has seen the U.S. having higher excess deaths due to COVID-19 than other G7 nations (including UK and Italy).
• In the U.S., middle-aged populations of all racial groups (and diversified populations) account for the highest proportion of COVID-19-related deaths now.
• Chile’s capital is locking down despite having >60% of its population fully vaccinated as cases continue to rise for many that are unvaccinated (which has increased hospital capacity and burden).
• A recent report about the UK’s first post-COVID-19 clinic at the University College London Hospitals has found many concerning and important findings (and continued perplexities) specific to long-term COVID-19 symptomology (also what we refer to as “long-haul COVID”).
• Despite having a fully vaccinated passenger list (and crew), a Celebrity Cruise ship that will soon arrive back at port has identified two COVID-19 positive
• In Wednesday’s Recommendations for Industry, we discussed the 51% efficacy of a single Pfizer dose and vaccination incentives. Read more here.
• The CDC updated its “Myths and Facts about COVID-19 Vaccines,” with notes including:
  • The COVID-19 vaccine will not make you magnetic
  • None of the COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the United States shed or release any of their components – none of them contain a live virus
  • There is no evidence that fertility problems are a side effect of any vaccine, including the COVID-19 vaccines
  • COVID-19 vaccines do not change or interact with your DNA in any way
  • The Federal Government does not mandate vaccination for people, including the COVID-19 vaccine
  • You will not test positive for COIVD-19 on a viral test after getting the vaccine
  • The COVID-19 vaccine cannot make you sick with COVID-19
• The CDC has changed travel restrictions for ~110 countries.!
• The EU COVID-19 passport has been revealed and some countries are planning to adopt. To find out more about it, Schengen Visa Info discusses what you need to know.
• The Washington Post reports that scientists and researchers are seeking to better understand the impacts of SARS-CoV-2 on the human brain (including potential brain damage occurrence).
• A recent study of COVID-19 related deaths between March and November 2020 found that COVID “caused a 22 percent increase of excess deaths, with a high proportion impacting the food/agriculture sector and the transportation sector, with Latinx “working age adults experiencing the highest excess mortality. Latino workers in the food industry had 59% excess mortality.”
• Another recent study found that malicious bots were often the biggest spreader of COVID untruths; in fact, they were “the primary drivers of COVID-19 misinformation, spreading myths and seeding public health distrust exponentially faster than human users could.”
• For Asian-Americans living in the U.S., “re-opening is not an option” as there is still an increasing surge of anti-Asian attacks (despite more vaccinations and decreasing case rates). In fact, Stop AAPI Hate has “tracked over 6,600 attacks and other incidents targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders from March 2020 to March 2021.”

Public Health & Food Safety:

• Both the WHO and FAO are highlighting the importance of science and technology in ensuring and continuing to build food safety efforts.
• The CDC’s recent MMWR on “Outbreaks Associated with Treated Recreational Water” has found that between 2015 – 2019, 208 outbreaks were identified with 76 outbreaks associated with Cryptosporidium and 65 associated with
• The FDA has amended its Standard of Identity for yogurt.

• On June 7^th, the WHO committed to stepping up actions to improve food safety and protect people from disease. The WHO has developed and released a “handbook to help countries measure their foodborne disease burden and identify food safety system needs and data gaps so they can strengthen national infrastructure and better protect people’s health.” Read more, here.
• Food Safety News reports on a recent report finding a decrease in STEC infections across Europe in 2019.
• Although many women may be hesitant to get the flu vaccine while pregnant, increasing number of studies have found that infants who were exposed to the flu vaccine (while in the womb) did not have an increased likelihood of adverse outcomes!
• The FDA has approved the second ever smallpox drug.