world

U.S. businesses face Jan 4 deadline to get workers vaccinated

67 Comments
By Chris Stein

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© 2021 AFP

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

67 Comments

Comments have been disabled You can no longer respond to this thread.

Who are dragging this pandemic out longer and longer? Who are endangering the lives of others for no good reason? Who are causing excessive strain on health care systems? Who are preventing full resumption of economic activity?

Anti-vaxxers, that’s who.

-8 ( +15 / -23 )

Biden has no right to force businesses to fire hard working people that they want to keep.

These employees also have the option to get tested every week. Is that too onerous?

-7 ( +13 / -20 )

Biden has no right to force businesses to fire hard working people that they want to keep.

Dobreyo.

The other option is to shut down the country like Putin did, so I am sure this is much better.

Apparently people are pleading for vaccine mandates in Russia!!!

-3 ( +13 / -16 )

And the few trying to control the many.

10 ( +19 / -9 )

“Under the [Occupational Safety and Health Act], the U.S. Postal Service is treated as a private employer,” said OSHA’s emergency temporary standard, set to officially publish in the Federal Register on Friday. “It is therefore required to comply with this [emergency temporary standard] in the same manner as any other employer covered by the act.” 

Plus you can side step the vaccine requirement by just paying to have businesses employees tested. Now my company was more hardcore. They required you to be vaccinated for COVID or you had to pay for getting tested every week. They walked a couple of people to the door for refusing to get tested or vaccinated.

Either get vaccinated, or get tested for COVID weekly or keep your possibly infected butt at home.

-6 ( +7 / -13 )

Gotta have people wear the useless mask as a way that everyone else knows who to discriminate against still.

5 ( +16 / -11 )

why no testing for vaccinated people? Can’t they be COVID positive too?

if someone tests negative why is a mask still needed?

lawsuits are on the way.

8 ( +18 / -10 )

Let this administration continue to force people to take the vaccine against their will and continue to threaten them, the Dems are already losing quite a few races and many traditionally solid blue states are having never before close calls, let them and this will just help the GOP going into next year. The Democrats didn’t listen in 2010 and 2013 and they’re not listening to these people and workers across the country. There is absolutely no mandate for this and they are digging their political graves, this is exactly what happened in VA. a traditional blue State.

12 ( +21 / -9 )

I did get my shots, however I do think that its the choice of everyone to get it or not.

12 ( +19 / -7 )

why no testing for vaccinated people? Can’t they be COVID positive too? 

if someone tests negative why is a mask still needed? 

lawsuits are on the way.

Lawsuits funded by the gullible GOP followers are welcome, They will be laughed out of courts, the lawyers will still take the money and the GOP folks will be poorer than before!!!

-8 ( +10 / -18 )

There is absolutely no mandate for this and they are digging their political graves, this is exactly what happened in VA. a traditional blue State.

Actually what happened in Virginia is what has always happened, they voted against the ruling party.

But I welcome all the vaccine denials by the trump folk. trump, tucker and the other bunch begged to be vaccinated but are asking their followers to not do so.

trump lost the elections due to his Covid lies, and seems like he will drag the GOP down with him for good!!!

-3 ( +11 / -14 )

Unvaccinated person. Negative COVID test, wearing a mask.

Vaccinated (even 6 months ago) person. No negative test. No mask.

who would you want to work with and why?

also why the delay if this is so critical? Oh don’t want Biden to be blamed for holiday supply chain and store staffing issues.

7 ( +16 / -9 )

trump lost the elections due to his Covid lies, and seems like he will drag the GOP down with him for good!!!

And Biden will lose re-election due to his lies. What happened to 10 months ago Biden and Harris refused to get vaccinated because Trump was involved in the manufacturing of the vaccine? We now live in a world of sane vs insane, not Democrat or Republican. If the American people do not acquiesce to the mandates, there will be no mandates. The people have authority over the government, not the other way around. Doesn't matter what they say. That's the way it works in the U.S.A.

7 ( +14 / -7 )

Anti vaxxer = Pro-choice

Pro vaxxer = ????

this stupid dichotomy of pro and anti is so underwhelming lacking in any ability to cover the range of issues surrounding Vaccine hesitancy it is ludicrous.

No long term health data on the untried mRNA vaccines is a real concern for many people who are not blinded by the incessant pro vax anti vax diatribe, yet they are branded fools and "antivaxxers" by people who are themselves of questionable intellect who just blindly follow the vaccinate or die mantra.

If the vaccines are so good why boosters??? Why is Natural immunity not classified as being vaxxed??? And why do the Vaccinated care???

4 ( +9 / -5 )

Actually what happened in Virginia is what has always happened, they voted against the ruling party.

No, the parents were tired of this administration and their power overreach and branding them as terrorists for resisting these crazy laws and thinking the government owns our kids.

But I welcome all the vaccine denials

The majority which are minorities…

trump lost the elections due to his Covid lies,

Well, the Dems are losing on everything from forced vaccine so called mandates, the economy, education, the border and a list that just seems to be endless. Again, this continues to help the GOP and the House in 2022

2 ( +9 / -7 )

Quit and see how quickly they hire you back because nobody will be willing to work, vaccinated or not.

You will probably get a raise.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

To a large extent, the constant smug mocking of people who don't get the vaccine is contributing to their stubbornness and hesitancy. Nobody likes to be scolded as if they were a child. And government mandates only add fuel to the fire. How about trying a bit of patience and reason instead? People will come around, given time. It has always been that way with vaccines throughout history.

I personally think people SHOULD get vaccinated. Especially the elderly and those with dangerous medical conditions. But, I am against the mandate. It is a large hammer being used to crack a very small egg. IF you believe the vaccine works for you, then get it. You are protected! Yay! Now shut up and mind your own business. You won't get infected, and on the small chance that you DO get infected, you won't get very sick.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

And Biden will lose re-election due to his lies. 

ROFL, considering trump is planning a run, it will be another landslide win for Biden.

trump cannot stop lying and people are fed up with him!!!

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

Scientifically validated - unvaccinated people are 11 times more likely to die from COVID than those vaccinated....

Not two times or three tomes - ELEVEN TIMES....

https://www.npr.org/2021/09/10/1036023973/covid-19-unvaccinated-deaths-11-times-more-likely

If the MAGA-masses can't comprehend that, no wonder they think Hugo Chavez stole votes and religious funded space lasers cause forest fires....

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

Nobody likes to be scolded as if they were a child. And government mandates only add fuel to the fire. How about trying a bit of patience and reason instead?

Ask someone who is anti-vaccination the reason they refuse this vaccine, but vaccines for polio, smallpox, etc., are OK. See if they are reasonable. You can't reason with unreasonable people.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

Not soon enough.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

Peter, the other vaccines you mentioned have undergone far more testing and evaluation. Plus, you might not know but they were also met with skepticism when introduced at first. But over time people saw the results and came around. Same will happen here, given enough time and research. The problem is that the mass media and social media have made society as a whole tremendously impatient. Some things (like a good cup of coffee) just can't be rushed.

It isn't simply a matter of people being stupid. Or low IQ. Get your own vaccine and get on with your life.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

...and i agree that it is difficult to have a serious discussion about this. Serious topics sometimes run the risk of using harsh language and causing stress, but they are valuable. I found nothing wrong with your previous post.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Ask someone who is anti-vaccination the reason they refuse this vaccine, but vaccines for polio, smallpox, etc., are OK.

easy. These were not mandated already (for politics) in the same year they were created.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

See what I mean about the responses? :)

Medicine is based on calculated risks. This new technique of mRNA reduced the time. How many more millions (5 million + so far) do think are worth dying so you can feel better about it taking longer to develop than vaccines developed 60 years ago?

The efficacy of the vaccines have been a stunning success.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

If people that are unvaxxed were only harming themselves then that would be fine.

how am I harming others when I dont have COVID?

even if I did, you are doublevaxxed and wearing a mask so you are "protected" from me. no?

The people who are hurting you are vaccinated people who Biden's new policy doesnt require to get tested not to wear masks. 3 people close to Biden got COVID recently, do you really think they got it from an unvaccinated person?

Worst case as a vaccinated person. you get a runny nose and a headache anyway, right?

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Scientifically validated - unvaccinated people are 11 times more likely to die from COVID than those vaccinated....

So how do you suggest we convince the black community to get vaccinated? Ice Cube just turned down a major role in a movie because he doesn’t want the shot. Neither does the Nation of Islam, so what can Biden do to convince the black community to get the shot?

If the MAGA-masses can't comprehend that,

Why, it has nothing to do with Trump. Keep holding on to the TDS, it’s working so well for CNN and msnbc with their 27 viewers combined.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

Now he can and will, where McAuliffe wouldn’t.

ROFL, it has never been taught so you can't undo something which has never been done. Gullible....

Yeah, all those liberals in that bluest of State are gullible, the same people that voted for Biden by 10 points, now all of a sudden they’re gullible…lol…ok

Thank you for bringing that up. The people in Virginia hated trump more than anything. So if trump runs again you can bet he will lose again by a bigger margin!!

Not really, he openly accepted his endorsement and ran on his platform, and is soon to meet with him, so yeah, I heard that lie on the lib networks as well.

He didn't even want to get on a call with trump, that says it all!!!

I heard it on fox, some people are calling it liberal I guess!!!

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Just because you get vaccinated doesn't necessarily mean you can get on with your life and won't get infected.

And who knows what the longterm health affects will be.

Is it really a simple easy choice to make ?

Being forced to do something is never pleasant and perhaps not necessary and detrimental.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Scientifically validated - unvaccinated people are 11 times more likely to die from COVID than those vaccinated....

So how do you suggest we convince the black community to get vaccinated?

Maybe they should listen to Trump - "it's safe and it works".... Maybe his supporters should listen to him too, right?

*According to Gallup, 40% of Republicans “don’t plan” to get vaccinated, versus 26% of Independents and just 3% of Democrats. In response to a more sharply worded KFF question, 23% of Republicans report that they will “definitely not” get vaccinated, compared to 11% of Independents and just 4% of Democrats.*

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2021/10/01/for-covid-19-vaccinations-party-affiliation-matters-more-than-race-and-ethnicity/

If the MAGA-masses can't comprehend that,

Why, it has nothing to do with Trump.

See above....

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Mr. Noidall

I kid you not, I heard in the news today—since the fda said 5-11 yo cans get the shot—the doctor/pundit said it’s the kids who are spreading the virus. I was taken aback.

Very true. Since the young are unvaccinated and frequently have no symptoms, they are perfect vectors for the virus. Why would you doubt that?

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

ROFL, it has never been taught

Ok, you don’t need to try and convince me, I don’t live in a blue State and I wasn’t the one that fired McAuliffe, talk and try and convince them

Thank you for bringing that up. The people in Virginia hated trump

Well, now it’s a Red State, which still helps the GOP and Trump as long as Youngkin does his job, it all helps.

He didn't even want to get on a call with trump,

But they did talk the other day. CNN trying harder than ever.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

Blacklabel

If people that are unvaxxed were only harming themselves then that would be fine.

how am I harming others when I dont have COVID?

Because you are 5 times more likely to get and hence spread Covid. You keep the virus alive and infect others.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Maybe they should listen to Trump

Has nothing to do with Trump, he’s out of office. Most blacks didn’t listen to Trump and they’re not listening to Biden either.

Despite the ongoing efforts to combat COVID-19, there exists one prominent and politically significant hindrance to this objective: vaccine hesitancy. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s recent data, approximately 72 percent of American adults have received at least one dose of one of the COVID-19 vaccines. Among those vaccinated whose race is known, 58 percent are white and 10 percent are Black. 

Distrust of the medical industry may be one reason that Black Americans lag behind. This distrust arises largely from experimentations done on slaves, typically without anesthesia, and the Tuskegee syphilis experiments, in which 399 Black men were infected and monitored without treatment from 1932 to 1972. These significant events have had a trickle-down effect, with horrific stories and negative attitudes toward medicine passed down through generations. 

https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/569483-why-arent-black-americans-getting-vaccinated

Biden has his work cut out for him. All those anti-vaxxers

1 ( +4 / -3 )

2020- but how can I spread it to you if you are vaccinated? That means you are safe. And even in the small chance that you DO catch it, you won't get very sick. So why be so worried about something that is statistically so rare?

Think about it- Covid took 18 months to kill 0.2% of Americans. Now with vaccines the numbers will go down even farther. This is not the bubonic plague, lurking at every corner.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Has nothing to do with Trump, he’s out of office

But most Trump people think he's still the real president and Biden stole the election

I don’t live in a blue State

Japan is not a state

redneck uneducated moronic trump supporters

Yes

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Maybe they should listen to Trump

Has nothing to do with Trump, he’s out of office.

He's told his supporters the vaccine "is safe and it works" - and that in particular they should get vaccinated....yet they refuse, and say his "Trump vaccine is poison"....why don't they believe him?

Biden has his work cut out for him. All those anti-vaxxers

Well, if 40% of Repubs say they don't plan to get vaccinated, and 23% say they "definitely" will not, I doubt they'll listen to Biden.....

The question is, why aren't these Repubs listening to Trump, but listening to Robert F. Kennedy Jr? Kindly explain that....

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Peter NeilToday  10:13 am JST

"....The efficacy of the vaccines have been a stunning success."

To date! Based on the lack of any long term health data. Long term effects are unknown hence the hesitancy and skepticism. Funnily enough that is science!

While I agree that under EUA people shown to have a higher mortality rate due to underlying conditions should be vaccinated. All others should be given a choice, not threatened and cajoled into doing something they don't want to!

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

In Australia the anti vacers are still in lock down until 95% of the eligible population (16 and over) are fully vaccinated. But now that 5-11 years olds are now eligible, it will take until March next year before the anti vacers might be free to join the community again. By the way I reckon they will never reach 95% so the antivacers will be holding out for some time to come. A very very long time LOL

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

zichiToday  10:56 am JST

Between December 2020 and July 19th, 2021, VAERS received 6,207 reports of death (0.0018% of doses) among people who got a vaccine, but this does not mean the vaccine caused these deaths. Doctors and safety monitors carefully review the details of each case to see if it might be linked to the vaccine.

A lass at work recently got the pfizer jab. she was in ER the next day with heart issues numbness down the left side and nausea. Perfectly healthy before she had the Jab. When in ER she said the Doctors did everything in their power to convince her that it had nothing to do with the vaccine... How many cases of side effects go unreported ? it is also nigh on impossible to prove a direct link between receiving the vaccine and subsequent death or severe illness. Doesn't mean it isn't happening...

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Zichi, the same argument can be made about Covid death stats. People die "with" covid, not "due to" covid in many cases. It is just another condition that exists in people that have, in many cases, several underlying health conditions that could kill them also. For young and/or healthy people, the numbers are correspondingly low. For children, virtually zero.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

The message is pretty clear: get vaxxed or get lost from polite society.

Good riddance to those who are too selfish or stupid to take a safe and effective vaccine during a global pandemic.

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

Good riddance to those who are too selfish or stupid to take a safe and effective vaccine during a global pandemic.

if the vaccine prevented you from getting or transmitting COVID you would have a point.

It doesnt.

You havent answered how I, having been tested for COVID and wearing a mask, are more dangerous to you in the office than a vaccinated, unmasked, untested coworker.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

Attilathehungry

2020- but how can I spread it to you if you are vaccinated?

That's the problem. So many people aren't vaccinated. That's who is catching it and getting sick and dying. But also, some people who would want to get vaccinated and can't.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

And the few trying to control the many.

Curious which group would be called the 'many', more US Americans have been vaccinated, I'd call them the 'many'.

An example of the 'few' or perhaps 'fewer' would be shown by the results of the last presidential election. Or the 'few' could also describe the anti-vaxx herd.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

The covid vaccination has prevented serious illness and deaths.

so then why are you so scared of unvaccinated people being in the same building as you?

Unvaccinated people arent scared of you. despite the fact that you can also spread COVID in the same amount as unvaccinated people can.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

so then why are you so scared of unvaccinated people being in the same building as you?

Why would anyone want to be forced to work with a human petri dish, growing new strains of Covid-19 in them?

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

 how would I even know which people were vaccinated or which were not? 

you make them wear a mask! so that you know who to discriminate against.

thats why the Biden plan makes people who tested negative still wear a mask.

while people who havent been tested at all can go maskless.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

Zichi, to be accurate I said "virtually zero". But the goal isn't, and cannot be, zero deaths. That is impossible. The whole "if it only saves ONE life" argument is facetious, and could be applied to any tragic or unlucky event. Life has risks. Some are larger than others, some can be managed, and some just have to be tolerated.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Finally - thanks for agreeing with me....

I didn’t, you just dodged the question….sigh..as usual, but I get it. Lol

And you forgot to answer these two:

Because Trump is not in office and I don’t suffer from TDS. I tend to focus on current events.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

Mandates are necessary because so many people do not understand.

Not understanding per se is not bad if the one who doesn't understand consults a professional who does understand and follows advice.

Problem is a lot of people actually think that they know better than the doctors and other health professionals.

They go to the doctors for consultations and treatments whenever they are sick, even for, or especially covid, taking meds and treatments they absolutely know nothing about, but with regards to vaccines they know better.

Mandates are necessary because the number of unvaccinated poses an unacceptable level of risk to the community.

If you don't want to be treated like a stupid child stop acting like one

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Zichi, my position is- vaccines are good. People should get them, especially seniors and vulnerable. But they should not be forced. Given time, most will come around. Force and derision will enlongate the time, not shorten it.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Covid took 18 months to kill 0.2% of Americans. Now with vaccines the numbers will go down even farther. This is not the bubonic plague, lurking at every corner.

More than all American combat deaths since the Revolutionary War.

So Americans should just get over it, it's not that big of a deal?

And it's 700 children, not 141. It probably wasn't "relatively minor" to them or their families. The Chickenpox vaccine was heralded and embraced by parents to prevent the 100 deaths per year.

You're a pretty cold person about other people's deaths.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites