Most US airlines are refusing to vaccinate employees

While United and Frontier are requiring all employees be vaccinated, the other US airlines are falling short.

Aug 11, 2021

This is going to be another Covid-heavy update. I’m just feeling like this is “the” story of the moment. Not simply in terms of the dead and injured, but also the further radicalization of the Republican party.

Few airlines mandate that employees be vaccinated

United Airlines is requiring its 67,000 US-based employees to be vaccinated against Covid. Most of other US air carriers have been less definitive.

The Washington Post has more on United’s policy:

Under United’s program, employees will be required to show proof of vaccination five weeks after the Food and Drug Administration announces full approval for a coronavirus vaccine, or five weeks after Sept. 20, whichever is first. Based on that timeline, the latest possible deadline for meeting the requirement would be Oct. 25, the airline said.

Here are what the other US carriers are doing, or not (I’ve added links to their Twitter feeds, so you can weigh in with them there, if tweet):

Frontier: Employees must be vaccinated by October 1, or provide a negative Covid test on a regular basis.

Alaska: Employees are simply required to tell the company what their vaccination status is, but they’re not required to be vaccinated.

American is simply “encouraging” employees to get vaccinated, so they’re doing nothing.

Southwest is “encouraging” employees to get vaccinated, so they’re doing nothing.

Delta is mandating that new hires be vaccinated, but current employees don’t have to. Which is weird.

So the only two airlines that are truly mandating that their employees be vaccinated are United and Frontier. Plan your future trips accordingly.

More Covid news

There’s been a spate of vocal Covid anti-vaxxers who have died recently from Covid. I mentioned a few in my previous newsletter. Here’s another.

I did a TikTok video today about Long Covid. I was surprised to learn that as many as 10% to 30% of adults who get Covid may come down with Long Covid, and you can get Long Covid even if you’re asymptomatic when you get Covid. Have a look.

Lamar Jackson, the unvaxxed quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens football team, has just caught Covid for the second time, and says he was pretty sick. When asked at a press conference this week if he finally plans to get the vaccine, Jackson said he needs to learn more about the vaccine first.

New data from Israel shows that even with concerns about the vaccine’s efficacy waning with time, and being less efficacious versus Delta, the vaccine is still quite effective at stopping serious illness:

Severe cases in Israel for those aged 60-plus, and by age group.

A Texas hospital system is putting up tents to deal with the Covid surge in that state. Meanwhile, school systems in Dallas, Austin, Houston, San Antonio, Ft. Worth, are all going to require masks in school, in spite of Republican Gov. Abbott’s order banning school mask mandates.

And Florida GOP Gov. Ron Dion DeSantis has empowered local officials to take away the salaries of school superintendents and board members who imposed mask mandates in schools. The White House says they’re looking into whether they can pay the superintendents and board members with federal funds should DeSantis retaliate against them for attempting to save children’s lives.

The feds are sending 100s of ventilators to Florida, as Delta surges in that state. Florida’s GOP Gov. Ron Dion DeSantis claims he didn’t request them. The White House responded, and I paraphrase: “we don’t normally sends ventilators unless they’re requested.” So DeSantis got caught needing help, because he screwed up Covid response in that state, and now is trying to hide that he’s desperate for help.

Speaking of which, Florida and Texas are both begging nurses from around the country to come to their states to help with the Covid surge. That would be the Covid surge that both Republican governors said wasn’t a problem, and didn’t necessitate vaccine or mask mandates, or social distancing.