Headlines
- The Department of Labor through OSHA released a new Emergency Temporary Standard for workplaces in the Healthcare sector on Thursday. Nursing homes and healthcare facilities will be required within two weeks to implement rules requiring face masks, proper ventilation, and requirements for screening and limiting visitors. While the standard does not fully require the guidance presented within, it gives workers at these facilities greater ability to demand safer practices and rules.
Also included in the guidance was a recommendation to shift unvaccinated workers to off-hours work and the installation of physical barriers between workers. Guidance was also slightly expanded for non-Healthcare sectors but amounted to recommending employers to encourage vaccination and to keep unvaccinated employees safe. - Federal regulators have extended the approved shelf life for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine by 6 weeks. The decision came after studies have shown that at the correct temperatures the vaccine is still effective for longer periods of time than originally considered. The J&J vaccine now has an allowed shelf life of four and a half months.
- As the G7 summit kicks off, the US has pledged 500 million doses of vaccine to be given to lower-income countries to help combat the coronavirus pandemic. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, pledging 100 million doses from the United Kingdom, has stated he expects the G7 will donate in total 1 billion doses of vaccine.
