Vaccinations are now almost a requirement for millions of US government employees. Those who are not vaccinated represent a “problem,” warned US President Joe Biden. In view of a new wave of corona and a faltering vaccination rate, the government is urging employees to vaccinate with new rules. Employees who cannot provide proof of vaccination will in future always have to wear a mask and be tested for possible infection once or twice a week, announced Biden.
The regulation for the more than two million civilian employees of the government therefore also applies to employees of contractual partners who work in government institutions. Unvaccinated employees are also said to be subject to severe restrictions with regard to business travel. With the strict rules, the White House apparently wants to make vaccinations the only convenient solution – but without explicitly relying on a politically controversial vaccination requirement. Biden emphasized, however, that the government supports companies that want to impose compulsory vaccinations on their employees. “We all want our lives to get back to normal, and fully vaccinated workplaces will get that back quickly.”
Biden now also instructed the Ministry of Defense to check when the armed forces could impose a compulsory corona vaccination. The Pentagon immediately stated that the same strict rules would apply to all employees and soldiers as to federal employees. Minister Lloyd Austin will also initiate consultations on when and how vaccination can be made compulsory, it said.
In order to increase the vaccination rate in the population, Biden also called on states and municipalities to pay a reward of 100 US dollars (85 euros) to each newly vaccinated person. This will be the case in New York from this Friday. “If incentives help us defeat this virus, then I think we should use them,” said Biden. If more people are vaccinated, the whole country will benefit. Many states and municipalities have already offered numerous incentives to increase the vaccination rate – including millions in profits.
Biden urged the Americans to vaccinate: “Vaccinations are the very best defense to avoid getting seriously ill with Covid-19.” Vaccination is the only way to defeat the pandemic. The delta variant of the coronavirus is “highly contagious” and leads to many diseases among unvaccinated people. It is now a “pandemic of the unvaccinated” in the USA, stressed Biden. About 99 percent of all corona deaths were not vaccinated. “This is an American tragedy. People who don’t have to die die and will die,” said Biden. The president said the government had more than enough vaccine for all Americans. “It’s a shame. It’s such a shame to waste this blessing.” (07/30/2021)
The state of emergency in Japan will soon apply in other prefectures
Japan’s government plans to change the state of emergency by August 31 and expand it to three prefectures near the Olympic host city of Tokyo and the western prefecture of Osaka. Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who leads Japan’s pandemic response, suggested this before a panel of experts. He wanted to curb the sharp increase in coronavirus cases across the country by all means, the minister said. The Japanese capital reported a record 3865 infected on Thursday. (07/30/2021)
Google and Facebook impose vaccination requirements for employees in the USA
The employees of the internet giants Google and Facebook in the USA have to get vaccinated against the coronavirus before returning to the offices. The companies communicated this independently of one another. Google boss Sundar Pichai said the regulation will initially affect the US, but will also apply to other regions in the coming months as soon as vaccinations are widely available there. As a result of the recent increase in the number of new corona infections in the USA due to the Delta variant, Google is also postponing the planned larger return to the offices until October 18, as Pichai explained. Apple, on the other hand, had already postponed this by an initial month last week, now until October. However, the company has not yet announced any compulsory vaccination.
On Facebook, personnel manager Lori Goler said that the implementation of mandatory vaccinations for employees in the US offices would depend on “local conditions and regulations”. There will also be a procedure for those who cannot be vaccinated for medical or other reasons. The procedure with a view to locations outside the US would be examined further, it said.
The vaccination campaign in the USA is now on the point – and that despite an abundance of vaccines and many vaccination incentives. Therefore, the states of New York and California as well as several cities have already announced compulsory vaccination for employees. According to President Joe Biden, the federal government is also examining compulsory vaccinations for its two million employees. According to the regulation under consideration, those who do not want to be vaccinated will have to undergo regular corona tests. However, Biden rejects the idea of a nationwide vaccination requirement. (29.07.2021)
Infection numbers in Turkey are skyrocketing
In Turkey, the daily number of cases rose to more than 20,000 for the first time since the beginning of May. 22,291 new cases were reported on Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Health. This latest surge follows Islamic holidays that many Turks take to beach holidays on the Mediterranean coast.
At the beginning of the month the number had been between about 5,000 and 6,000. For comparison: In Germany, which has a similar number of residents as Turkey, 2768 new corona infections were reported on Wednesday.
At the beginning of July, the Turkish government lifted exit restrictions that had been in place for more than six months. Upper limits for the occupancy of restaurants have also been lifted and offices, cinemas and theaters reopened. Around half of the population has had at least one vaccination so far. Turkey uses the preparations from Sinovac and Biontech / Pfizer. (07/28/2021) #
No increased risk of thrombosis after the second Astra-Zeneca dose
A second dose of the Astra-Zeneca vaccine, according to one study, does not increase the risk of rare blood clots. According to the magazine Lancet published data, there were 2.3 cases of so-called TTS thrombosis per million vaccinated persons. This is comparable to the number of cases in unvaccinated people. After the first dose, a rate of 8.1 cases per million vaccinated was found. Unless a TTS was detected after the first dose, these results speak in favor of giving two doses of Astra Zeneca, a company manager said. (07/28/2021)