Health & Safety Alert

Seventy-five percent of the United States adult population has now received at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot. The country met this milestone as the pace of vaccination has increased to more than 900,000 shots per day after a low of nearly 500,000 daily shots in mid-July.

Parents and children across the country are getting ready to return to school amidst the COVID-19 surge caused by the highly transmissible Delta variant. The overwhelming majority of new COVID-19 cases and serious infections are among people who have not yet been vaccinated, and children 12 years old and younger who are not yet eligible.

On Aug. 23 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it had granted full approval of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine for people 16 years and older. The drug will be marketed under the name Comirnaty, the FDA said in its announcement. Of the more than 170 million people in the U.S. vaccinated against COVID-19, 92 million have received the Pfizer vaccine.

The delta variant is creating a surge of new COVID-19 cases across the country, particularly in states and regions where fewer people are vaccinated. The variant now accounts for over 82 percent of all new cases.

Last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that people vaccinated against the coronavirus resume wearing masks in schools and in public indoor spaces in parts of the country where the virus is surging.

The majority of residents in the United States are fully vaccinated, and nearly 70 percent of adults have taken at least one dose of the vaccine. At the same time, the federal government and many state and local governments have relaxed restrictions. The fully vaccinated have been able to return to seeing loved ones and living their lives nearly the same as before the pandemic.

In a sign of how well the Biden Administration has tackled the pandemic, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urged schools to reopen in the fall.

1199SEIU encourages all members to get vaccinated for their own health and safety. Vaccine mandates are unjust, unnecessary, and dismissive to the concerns of healthcare heroes.

New evidence suggests the vaccine may provide longer-term protection than first thought. Health experts originally speculated that we may need an annual or occasional “booster” shots to maintain Covid-19 vaccines’ effectiveness at protecting us from the illness.

In early June, New York Presbyterian Hospital announced plans to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for all staff. In response, 199SEIU President George Gresham released the following statement: “We are not in agreement with a mandate of the COVID-19 vaccine.

While fewer children have been sick with COVID-19 compared with adults, children can become infected, can get sick, and spread the virus to others. As we move into summer, we need to think about how we keep our children and ourselves safe

President Biden’s Center for Disease Control announced recently that everyone 12 years and older is now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. This is great news for families with children and will help keep loved ones safe as we begin to spend more time with friends and family.

It’s roughly one year after the COVID-19 pandemic peaked in New York and the state continues to make good progress vaccinating all New Yorkers, particularly health care workers. Nursing home workers are getting it done! Currently, 87% of nursing home residents and 58% of staff are fully vaccinated.

Now that more of us are vaccinated, it is time to think about what we can do while staying safe. You are fully vaccinated two weeks after the second dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and two weeks after the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. If you have not completed ALL of these steps, you are NOT fully vaccinated and you should continue taking all precautions. But if you are fully vaccinated or on your way—congratulations*.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday issued new interim public health guidance for the fully vaccinated. This guidance applies to COVID-19 vaccines currently authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization. Fully vaccinated people can now unmask at small outdoor gatherings, or when dining outside with friends from multiple households.

The Black Coalition Against COVID and the Kaiser Family Foundation have launched a new campaign to provide Black communities with credible information about COVID-19 vaccines.

Each week, more of us are becoming eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. Soon, nearly 40 percent of us will have at least one vaccine shot. In New York State, nearly 60 percent of nursing home workers and 80 percent of hospital workers have taken their shots. Despite all this good news, we all know someone who is still reluctant to get vaccinated.

Despite the recent success with vaccinations, we know there are still many people who are reluctant to take the shot. A recent poll found 32 percent of the US population may not get the vaccine. And we know to fully protect everyone we need to reach at least 75 to 85 percent of us. We’ve all heard some of the reasons why people are hesitant—the technology is too new, steps must have been skipped, we don’t know the side effects, and others.

I got my first dose of the Moderna vaccine last week. I walked away feeling fine. And grateful. Like all of us, I am missing so many of the important people and things in my life. 1199ers have surely been through hell over the last year. Recently, we were starting to see the light. We could think with genuine hope about returning to our lives. Grandparents could hug their grandchildren. We could spend time with old friends. No more Zoom birthday parties!