WEBVTT - How Companies Are Lining Up Shots for Workers 0:00:01.200 --> 0:00:05.840 Welcome to Prognosis. I'm Laura Carlson. It's day two hundred 0:00:05.880 --> 0:00:09.960 and seventy nine since coronavirus was declared a global pandemic. 0:00:10.920 --> 0:00:15.760 Today's main story. Right now, vaccines are being administered to 0:00:15.840 --> 0:00:21.680 select people throughout US hospitals and healthcare systems, but companies 0:00:21.840 --> 0:00:24.520 are preparing for the moment the shots are more widely 0:00:24.560 --> 0:00:30.560 available and getting ready for the challenge of vaccinating millions 0:00:30.600 --> 0:00:37.520 of workers. But first, here's what happened in virus news today. 0:00:42.640 --> 0:00:46.800 Maderna's COVID nineteen vaccine is expected to gain clearance from 0:00:46.840 --> 0:00:51.080 the Food and Drug Administration as soon as today. That's 0:00:51.120 --> 0:00:54.840 after a panel of outside advisors backed authorizing the drug 0:00:55.080 --> 0:01:00.440 yesterday in a twenty zero vote with one abstention. F 0:01:00.520 --> 0:01:03.840 d A Commissioner Stephen Hahn said that the agency will 0:01:03.880 --> 0:01:08.600 work quickly toward authorizing the vaccine. The European Commission has 0:01:08.640 --> 0:01:12.080 doubled its order of Madernas shots to one hundred and 0:01:12.120 --> 0:01:17.560 sixty million doses. The first COVID nineteen shots have already 0:01:17.600 --> 0:01:20.800 been given to more than one point one million people 0:01:21.000 --> 0:01:26.119 in four countries, according to data collected by Bloomberg. It's 0:01:26.160 --> 0:01:30.679 the start of the biggest vaccination campaign in history and 0:01:30.760 --> 0:01:36.720 one of the largest logistical challenges ever undertaken. The Fiser 0:01:36.800 --> 0:01:40.120 bio en tech vaccine was rolled out this week beginning 0:01:40.120 --> 0:01:44.120 with healthcare workers, and twenty four states reported the first 0:01:44.319 --> 0:01:48.600 forty nine thousand, five hundred and sixty seven doses administered. 0:01:49.560 --> 0:01:53.040 Those numbers are expected to surge in coming days as 0:01:53.080 --> 0:01:56.240 more states work through their early allocation of shots and 0:01:56.320 --> 0:02:01.400 begin to report their numbers. Finally, some U s States 0:02:01.600 --> 0:02:04.800 say the federal government has cut their allocations of the 0:02:04.840 --> 0:02:10.440 Fiser vaccine for next week without explanation. Oregon's allotment of 0:02:10.480 --> 0:02:14.639 FISER doses for next week was cut by forty according 0:02:14.680 --> 0:02:18.000 to Governor Kate Brown in a tweet on Thursday evening. 0:02:19.120 --> 0:02:23.239 Washington State had been expecting more than seventy four thousand 0:02:23.280 --> 0:02:27.160 doses of the shot for next week, but Operation warp Speed, 0:02:27.440 --> 0:02:31.120 the US Vaccine Development Program told them the state would 0:02:31.120 --> 0:02:36.480 receive forty four thousand, eight hundred and fifty instead. Before 0:02:36.520 --> 0:02:39.480 the Fiser vaccine began to roll out this week, states 0:02:39.520 --> 0:02:44.400 reported widespread confusion and frequently changing estimates for how many 0:02:44.440 --> 0:02:49.200 doses they should expect. In a statement on Thursday, Washington 0:02:49.320 --> 0:02:52.560 State officials said they were not given an explanation as 0:02:52.600 --> 0:02:56.680 to why the state's allocation was reduced, and they don't 0:02:56.760 --> 0:03:10.040 know how much they'll be allocated beyond next week. And 0:03:10.160 --> 0:03:14.600 now for today's main story, US companies are taking some 0:03:14.760 --> 0:03:18.839 of the first concrete steps to prepare for the unprecedented 0:03:18.960 --> 0:03:23.519 and complex task of distributing hundreds of millions of doses 0:03:23.639 --> 0:03:28.480 to the American workforce. For some, that means procuring deep 0:03:28.560 --> 0:03:32.080 freezers to store vaccines or setting up health clinics at 0:03:32.080 --> 0:03:37.280 their facilities. Others are weighing whether to require vaccination for 0:03:37.360 --> 0:03:42.680 employees returning to in person work. Several industries are lobbying 0:03:42.720 --> 0:03:44.720 to get their workers near the front of the line 0:03:45.040 --> 0:03:48.280 after the first doses go to healthcare workers and nursing 0:03:48.320 --> 0:03:52.800 home residents. I spoke to Ryan be about a crucial 0:03:52.880 --> 0:04:00.240 vector for vaccine distribution the American workplace. So, Ryan, what 0:04:00.400 --> 0:04:04.000 are some of the companies or even industries that have 0:04:04.160 --> 0:04:08.360 discussed that they may make vaccines available to their employees 0:04:08.600 --> 0:04:11.360 and how exactly are they going to be doing this. 0:04:12.280 --> 0:04:15.839 It's still very much a working problem, if you will, 0:04:16.000 --> 0:04:18.400 but you know, some companies have started to take some 0:04:18.400 --> 0:04:22.559 of the first concrete steps to to prepare for their turn, 0:04:22.680 --> 0:04:25.480 if you will, UM in the vaccine distribution process. So 0:04:25.560 --> 0:04:28.120 Ford Motor Company has gone out and purchased about a 0:04:28.160 --> 0:04:32.599 dozen UH ultra cold deep freezers that are capable of 0:04:32.640 --> 0:04:36.800 storing the Maderna and Visor vaccines at like Arctic like 0:04:36.880 --> 0:04:42.080 temperatures of negative seventy degrees celsius negative forty degrees celsius um, 0:04:42.160 --> 0:04:44.680 and they're keeping them in their facilities for the eventual 0:04:44.760 --> 0:04:47.240 point at which they will be able to distribute the 0:04:47.279 --> 0:04:49.839 vaccine to their workers. Standards and Farms, one of the 0:04:49.880 --> 0:04:53.880 largest poultry producers, they've already set up health clinics to UH, 0:04:53.920 --> 0:04:56.960 you know, provide COVID testing for their workers at their 0:04:57.240 --> 0:05:00.120 UH at their facilities, and right now they p in 0:05:00.160 --> 0:05:04.640 to administer vaccines at those facilities to for employers who 0:05:04.640 --> 0:05:07.600 want them. And UH A lot of companies that we 0:05:07.680 --> 0:05:11.039 spoke to said that, you know, they were reluctant to comment, 0:05:11.080 --> 0:05:13.200 and they declined to comment just because they're still trying 0:05:13.200 --> 0:05:16.239 to figure this out. There's still a lot of work 0:05:16.320 --> 0:05:19.000 that needs to happen at the federal and state levels 0:05:19.440 --> 0:05:22.560 UH to you know, provide companies with additional clarity about 0:05:23.000 --> 0:05:26.719 when they might have access to vaccines for their workers, 0:05:26.720 --> 0:05:30.080 how they will receive those vaccines. A lot of companies 0:05:30.120 --> 0:05:33.560 are still waiting to see sort of how these pieces 0:05:33.600 --> 0:05:35.520 all come together to figure out how they fit in. 0:05:36.000 --> 0:05:39.560 I mean, do these companies, whether or not they've announced 0:05:39.680 --> 0:05:43.120 any formal plan of distributing or making these vaccines available. 0:05:43.520 --> 0:05:47.240 Have these companies announced any timeline as far as when 0:05:47.279 --> 0:05:50.880 they expect to receive doses of these vaccines or even 0:05:51.360 --> 0:05:55.120 to make these plans in effect or essentially roll out 0:05:55.200 --> 0:06:00.040 these plans um I assume in not really Actually the 0:06:00.880 --> 0:06:03.840 companies that do talk about their plans, they what they 0:06:03.920 --> 0:06:07.200 lack is UH clarity in terms of timing, And I 0:06:07.200 --> 0:06:09.839 think that's a reflection of the lack of clarity in 0:06:09.920 --> 0:06:12.200 terms of timing and availability that we're seeing from the 0:06:12.240 --> 0:06:15.120 federal level. As these vaccines continue to go through the 0:06:15.120 --> 0:06:18.640 FDA approval process, and as the FDA advisory committee that 0:06:18.800 --> 0:06:23.719 creates recommendations about which groups of society, which UH segments 0:06:23.720 --> 0:06:27.640 of the workforce, which portions of the population UH should 0:06:27.640 --> 0:06:32.320 receive priority for whichever vaccines become available. Keep in mind 0:06:32.320 --> 0:06:35.680 that right now, UH that advisory board has basically only 0:06:35.800 --> 0:06:40.280 set recommendations for the very very first UH distributions of vaccines, 0:06:40.320 --> 0:06:43.840 which they've said should go to healthcare workers at risk 0:06:43.880 --> 0:06:47.159 health care workers and UH folks in long term care 0:06:47.200 --> 0:06:49.640 facilities like nursing homes, where we saw some of the biggest, 0:06:49.960 --> 0:06:53.320 most deadly outbreaks early on in the pandemic. As more 0:06:53.880 --> 0:06:57.279 vaccines go through that process, UH, I think we'll have 0:06:57.320 --> 0:06:59.240 a better sense and I think companies will have a 0:06:59.240 --> 0:07:03.280 better sense of the timing of the distribution. Now in 0:07:03.320 --> 0:07:07.080 addition to timelines, and you already mentioned a little bit 0:07:07.120 --> 0:07:11.120 in terms of the actual equipment and logistics needed for 0:07:11.400 --> 0:07:15.080 storing and and even distributing these vaccines. I mean, Fiser's 0:07:15.160 --> 0:07:19.920 vaccine into itself requires quite low temperatures that a normal 0:07:20.080 --> 0:07:24.680 refrigerator cannot really accommodate. So I was wondering just if 0:07:24.720 --> 0:07:29.280 you might go into some of the specifics about the 0:07:29.360 --> 0:07:33.760 equipment that is needed to store this vaccine by a company, 0:07:33.880 --> 0:07:37.720 how they are acquiring the special equipment, which understandably is 0:07:37.720 --> 0:07:41.080 going to be quite in demand over the next coming months. Sure, 0:07:41.400 --> 0:07:46.480 I spoke to UH an executive at a smaller UH 0:07:46.600 --> 0:07:52.200 specialty freezer manufacturer in Cincinnati, Ohio. They're working around the 0:07:52.240 --> 0:07:56.080 clock to fulfill you know, skyrocketing demand for their specialty 0:07:56.200 --> 0:07:58.800 ultric cold freezers. That's the sort of the term of 0:07:58.920 --> 0:08:02.640 art for these types of specialty freezers that are needed 0:08:02.680 --> 0:08:05.600 to store the Fiser and Madurana vaccines. So he's seen 0:08:05.720 --> 0:08:08.920 you know demand you know, uh to go through the 0:08:09.000 --> 0:08:12.160 roof for these devices. Um, even from companies that that 0:08:12.400 --> 0:08:16.520 never needed these types of freezers before. Mom and pop pharmacies, Uh, 0:08:16.640 --> 0:08:19.560 small independent corner pharmacies that aren't part of the big 0:08:19.640 --> 0:08:22.920 chains like CBS, right or Walgreens are ordering these at 0:08:22.960 --> 0:08:25.640 a fairly rapid clip because you know, they anticipate being 0:08:25.680 --> 0:08:28.640 part of the distribution process as well at some point. Uh. 0:08:29.280 --> 0:08:31.360 Most of the demand that he's seen is coming from 0:08:32.400 --> 0:08:37.679 hospital systems obviously, labs, um, you know, big pharmacy chains, etcetera. 0:08:38.160 --> 0:08:42.880 Are some companies or industries in particular trying to say, 0:08:43.320 --> 0:08:45.520 move to the front of the line, maybe get the 0:08:45.600 --> 0:08:48.640 vaccine sooner than others. And I'm wondering if this is 0:08:48.760 --> 0:08:53.080 particularly the case for industries that have been hard hit 0:08:53.200 --> 0:08:55.679 by the pandemic. Um. We haven't talked about it yet, 0:08:55.679 --> 0:08:59.080 but let's say the airlines or even those in the 0:08:59.160 --> 0:09:01.840 food industry. Yeah, no, you hit on two of the 0:09:01.840 --> 0:09:05.920 primary groups that we've seen advocate for getting I don't 0:09:05.920 --> 0:09:08.240 want to say the front of the line, because pretty 0:09:08.280 --> 0:09:11.520 much everyone agrees that the front of the line is 0:09:11.840 --> 0:09:16.079 are are healthcare workers and long term care residents are 0:09:16.400 --> 0:09:18.520 the front of the line. UM. But we are seeing 0:09:18.880 --> 0:09:21.760 you know, some you know, some industries advocate to get 0:09:21.800 --> 0:09:24.520 their workers nearer to the front of the line. Uh, 0:09:24.559 --> 0:09:29.080 particularly those in the food industry. We've seen both lobbying organizations, 0:09:29.640 --> 0:09:34.320 trade associations, and unions all advocating to get for example, 0:09:34.400 --> 0:09:37.840 meat packing workers to get them priority status because they 0:09:37.880 --> 0:09:41.040 are front line essential workers. We've seen the same from airlines. 0:09:41.080 --> 0:09:45.880 The primary trade association for UH big airlines like Southwest 0:09:46.240 --> 0:09:50.360 Airlines and UH and and Delta for example. They've they've urged, 0:09:50.440 --> 0:09:53.920 you know, federal policymakers to you know, treat front line 0:09:53.920 --> 0:09:56.640 airline workers like flight attendants and pilots and gate agents 0:09:56.679 --> 0:09:59.440 and everything like that, uh, you know, as essential workers 0:09:59.440 --> 0:10:02.280 to get them priority for a vaccine. UM. A lot 0:10:02.320 --> 0:10:04.280 of the activity, as you point out, though, has come 0:10:04.320 --> 0:10:08.400 from the food sector. I mean there are keep in mind, 0:10:08.880 --> 0:10:11.560 UH meat packing plants in particular, where some of the 0:10:11.640 --> 0:10:17.200 hardest hit workers and and and workplaces. Early on in 0:10:17.240 --> 0:10:21.360 the pandemic, we saw you know, multiple shutdowns and big 0:10:21.360 --> 0:10:24.719 outbreaks at at major meat processing facilities that created the 0:10:24.720 --> 0:10:29.320 potential for food shortages. So yeah, organizations that represent workers 0:10:29.320 --> 0:10:32.439 in those groups and are are definitely advocating to get 0:10:32.440 --> 0:10:35.400 their workers, uh, you know, a priority status for vaccine 0:10:35.400 --> 0:10:40.800 distribution as soon as possible. So one angle to companies 0:10:41.200 --> 0:10:44.840 making a vaccine available to their employees might be that 0:10:44.960 --> 0:10:49.600 they will require employees to receive the vaccine. Have you 0:10:49.640 --> 0:10:52.720 heard about anything along those lines in terms of a 0:10:52.760 --> 0:10:57.040 requirement for employees to get vaccinated. So it's kind of 0:10:57.040 --> 0:11:00.000 a tricky situation. Um, so let's just take us to 0:11:00.040 --> 0:11:03.000 up back. So, you know, polling has shown that there's 0:11:03.000 --> 0:11:07.120 actually a pretty significant degree of apprehension or reluctance among 0:11:07.200 --> 0:11:11.640 Americans to actually, you know, get this vaccine once it's available. 0:11:12.080 --> 0:11:15.199 So if you couple that with you know, companies trying 0:11:15.240 --> 0:11:17.160 to you know, consider whether or not they need to 0:11:17.200 --> 0:11:21.040 make it a requirement of employment. If companies are going 0:11:21.080 --> 0:11:25.000 to mandate that their workers get a vaccine, I mean, 0:11:25.080 --> 0:11:28.600 you know, companies can't run the risk of losing a 0:11:28.679 --> 0:11:33.080 lot of their workers if that reluctance or apprehension sort 0:11:33.080 --> 0:11:38.920 of hardens into an outright refusal to receive the vaccine. Right, So, uh, 0:11:39.240 --> 0:11:42.200 companies buy and large that that that that we've spoken 0:11:42.240 --> 0:11:46.360 to anyway, and employer groups that we've spoken to have 0:11:46.520 --> 0:11:50.880 said that most employers are not going to make it mandatory, 0:11:50.920 --> 0:11:55.359 They're gonna make it voluntary, but strongly encourage their employees 0:11:55.360 --> 0:12:00.240 to get this vaccine. UM and some companies are going 0:12:00.280 --> 0:12:04.320 to sort of lead by example. UM Delta Airline CEO 0:12:04.440 --> 0:12:07.760 At Bastion said on NBC's Today Show that you know, 0:12:07.800 --> 0:12:10.880 he can't wait to get a vaccine, So you're hearing 0:12:10.920 --> 0:12:14.040 some messaging like that from the c suite at at 0:12:14.080 --> 0:12:17.360 lots of companies. The CEO of Sanderson Farms said that, 0:12:17.760 --> 0:12:21.440 you know, he plans to get vaccinated on video and 0:12:21.480 --> 0:12:24.760 then share that video with company employees to encourage them 0:12:24.760 --> 0:12:26.719 to do the same. And some of the experts that 0:12:26.760 --> 0:12:30.080 I've spoken to said that, you know, that's a really 0:12:30.120 --> 0:12:33.640 important part of what companies need to do in terms 0:12:33.640 --> 0:12:37.760 of educating and messaging and leading by example to make 0:12:37.760 --> 0:12:40.920 sure that you know that that folks actually do go 0:12:40.960 --> 0:12:44.559 ahead and get vaccinated. So Ryan, finally, you know, we've 0:12:44.960 --> 0:12:49.000 largely been talking about companies that are either national or 0:12:49.040 --> 0:12:54.360 even international that have the resources to either acquire and 0:12:54.600 --> 0:12:59.400 or distribute vaccines to their employees or even beyond. But 0:12:59.600 --> 0:13:04.439 does perhaps edge out smaller companies from from getting the 0:13:04.520 --> 0:13:09.280 vaccine as quickly or what have you heard about smaller 0:13:09.280 --> 0:13:12.400 companies in terms of potentially getting ready for the availability 0:13:12.480 --> 0:13:15.120 of a vaccine? Well, I mean it certainly could. I 0:13:15.120 --> 0:13:16.560 mean keep in mind a lot of the stuff we 0:13:16.600 --> 0:13:18.520 still have to see how it all plays out. But 0:13:18.559 --> 0:13:21.840 you know that being said, uh, it's it's it's a 0:13:21.920 --> 0:13:25.160 really big challenge for small businesses. I mean especially small 0:13:25.280 --> 0:13:29.560 small businesses like restaurants, independent bars, um, you know, just 0:13:30.080 --> 0:13:32.800 you know, with a few dozen employees or twenty employees. 0:13:33.080 --> 0:13:36.720 I mean, they don't have the kind of uh, you know, 0:13:37.000 --> 0:13:40.800 lobbying budgets that big companies do to go talk to 0:13:40.840 --> 0:13:43.880 the f d A and you know, send letters and 0:13:43.880 --> 0:13:47.280 and and do all of the advocacy that a lot 0:13:47.320 --> 0:13:49.480 of the big companies are doing right now, particularly in 0:13:49.480 --> 0:13:52.840 the food industry and the airline industry that we've mentioned earlier, 0:13:53.120 --> 0:13:55.319 to you know, advocate for their workers to get front 0:13:55.360 --> 0:13:57.400 of the line status. There are trade associations that are 0:13:57.400 --> 0:13:59.240 doing that in there are small business groups that are 0:13:59.280 --> 0:14:02.720 trying to represents it, uh, you know, these smaller employers 0:14:02.800 --> 0:14:04.880 to make sure that they're not overlooked and to make 0:14:04.920 --> 0:14:08.280 sure that the vaccine distribution plan is equitable. But yeah, 0:14:08.280 --> 0:14:10.360 it's a challenge. I mean, these smaller companies have had 0:14:10.400 --> 0:14:13.600 to deal with you know, potential you know, outbreaks among 0:14:13.679 --> 0:14:17.160 their workforce and you know, particularly the bar and restaurant industry. 0:14:17.200 --> 0:14:20.400 I mean, I'm sure this the situation is is the same, 0:14:20.640 --> 0:14:23.600 you know, nationally, but it's just a huge challenge for 0:14:23.640 --> 0:14:26.720 these business operators to you know, manage all of this 0:14:27.040 --> 0:14:32.840 with capacity restrictions and limited indoor dining and so adding 0:14:32.880 --> 0:14:36.200 on top of that this question about how they as 0:14:36.200 --> 0:14:38.760 employers can make a vaccine available to their workers. It's 0:14:38.800 --> 0:14:46.160 just it's it's tough. That was Ryan b and that's 0:14:46.200 --> 0:14:48.640 it for our show today. For coverage of the outbreak 0:14:48.640 --> 0:14:52.120 from one twenty bureaus around the world, visit Bloomberg dot 0:14:52.160 --> 0:14:56.360 com slash coronavirus and if you like the show, please 0:14:56.400 --> 0:14:58.960 leave us a review and a rating on Apple Podcasts 0:14:59.040 --> 0:15:02.120 or Spotify. It's the best way to help more listeners 0:15:02.240 --> 0:15:06.520 find our global reporting. The Prognosis Daily edition is produced 0:15:06.520 --> 0:15:11.880 by Tophor Foreheads Jordan Gaspore, Magnus Henriksson and me Laura Carlson. 0:15:12.240 --> 0:15:16.200 Today's main story was reported by Ryan Bean, original music 0:15:16.240 --> 0:15:20.160 by Leo Sedrin. Our editors are Rick Shine and Francesca Levi. 0:15:20.760 --> 0:15:25.160 Francesca Levi is Bloomberg's head of podcasts. Thanks for listening.