COVID-19 and the Workforce: March 5, 2021

TOP HEADLINES 

CDC is Depending on Employers to Encourage Worker Vaccinations 
SHRM – February 25, 2021 
During a webcast for members of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials explained what employers can do to promote efforts to vaccinate employees. 

Weekly Jobless Claims Rise Less Than Expected Despite Weather Impact 
CNBC – March 4, 2021 
Weekly jobless claims edged higher last week but rose less than expected for an economy struggling to shake off impacts from a pandemic that has been around now for nearly a year. 

Survey: Only 6% Of U.S. Employers Plan to Mandate COVID-19 Vaccination 
HR Dive – February 18, 2021 
Employers will balance a wide range of concerns and viewpoints as they decide whether to mandate COVID-19 vaccination or encourage vaccination through education, incentivization or a combination of these approaches. 

What’s New from the CDC 
Keep up with all the latest information on COVID-19 directly from the resources created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  

GLOBAL NEWS 

AUSTRALIA 
Australia’s COVID-19 Vaccine Targets Will Require a Dramatic Ramping Up of Our National Rollout 
ABC News – March 3, 2021  
Health Minister Greg Hunt this week reaffirmed the government’s goal of vaccinating everyone who wants to be vaccinated by the end of October. 

CANADA 
Canada to Receive 6.5 Million COVID-19 Vaccines by End of March 
CNN – February 26, 2021  
Canada expects to receive more than 6.5 million COVID-19 vaccines by the end of March, with tens of millions more vaccines arriving between April and June, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Feb. 26. 

INDIA 
India’s Covaxin COVID-19 Vaccine, Already in Use, Shows Promise in Trials 
The New York Times – March 4, 2021 
Interim results from clinical trials suggested that Covaxin could be safe and effective, potentially removing one hurdle to New Delhi’s ambitious campaign to inoculate a vast population. 

UNITED KINGDOM 
Prime Minister Sets Out Roadmap to Cautiously Ease Lockdown Restrictions 
GOV.UK – February 22, 2021 
Government publishes four-step roadmap to ease restrictions across England and provide a route back to a more normal way of life. 

UNITED STATES 
More States are Easing COVID-19 Restrictions, Even as Health Experts Sound Warnings 
CNN – March 3, 2021 
Several states on Tuesday announced they are loosening restrictions put in place to stop the spread of COVID-19, even as health experts warn against doing just that. Texas and Mississippi, for example, are lifting mask mandates and allowing businesses to open at full capacity. 

POLAND 
Poland Says Looser Coronavirus Restrictions Possible in May 
Reuters – March 4, 2021 
Poland could loosen coronavirus restrictions in May, provided a third wave of the pandemic peaks between March and April, Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said on Thursday.