Workplace COVID-19 vaccination, challenges and opportunities

Distribution of COVID-19 mitigation measures by industry and work arrangement-US blood donors, May 2021-December 2021

OBJECTIVE

To describe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mitigation measures in workplaces of employed US blood donors by industry and work arrangement.

METHODS

During May-December 2021, blood donors responded to a survey; we describe the distribution of reported workplace mitigation measures by industry and work arrangement, organized using the hierarchy of controls.

RESULTS

Of 53,433 respondents representing 21 industries, ventilation upgrades were reported by 4%-38% of respondents (overall: 20%); telework access ranged from 14%-80% (53% overall). Requiring masks (overall: 84%; range: 40%-94%), physical distancing (77%; 51%-86%), paid leave for illness (70%; 38%-87%), and encouraging vaccination (61%; 33%-80%) were common. Independent workers reported fewer mitigation measures than those in traditional employment settings.

CONCLUSIONS

Mitigation measures varied by industry and work arrangement. Some mitigation measures may be challenging to implement or irrelevant in certain industries, supporting the idea that mitigation is not a one-size-fits-all strategy.

POLICY IMPLICATIONS

Tailored strategies to mitigate workplace risks of disease transmission are vital. Strategies should rely on effective methods for identifying workplace controls (e.g., through the hierarchy of controls) and account for industry-specific characteristics and workplace environments.

Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention at the Workplace

The concept of workplace safety and health has focused largely on preventing accidents and on minimizing hazardous exposures. However, because workers spend a substantial part of their waking hours at the workplace, the potential to influence the health of a large proportion of the world's population through the workplace is enormous. The opportunities to carry out health promotion and chronic disease prevention activities at the workplace are countless, including (a) health screening; (b) tobacco cessation activities; (c) the promotion of healthy food choices and weight loss; (d) active breaks with physical exercise in terms of microexercise, enhancement of infrastructure to stimulate physical activity, and organization of work tasks to facilitate incidental physical activity; and (e) routine vaccinations. This review discusses the key factors necessary to implement health promotion and chronic disease prevention programs at the workplace (SWOLE model) and discusses the different foci and possibilities with respect to the differing nature of work for the blue- versus white-collar workforce.

Rubella Vaccine Uptake among Women of Childbearing Age in Healthcare Settings

BACKGROUND

Rubella is a contagious viral infection that occurs most often in children and young adults. Rubella is the leading vaccine-preventable cause of birth defects. Rubella infection in pregnant women may cause fetal death or congenital defects known as congenital rubella syndrome. There is no specific treatment for rubella, but the disease is preventable by vaccination with an efficacy of over 95%. Vaccination coverage is still below the recommended levels and many cases have occurred worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the immunization programs and the quality of disease surveillance worldwide. Operators of the healthcare setting are at increased risk of infection due to their work duties and should receive preventive vaccination or serologic protection to work in a healthcare setting.

AIMS

To evaluate the serological evidence of rubella IgG antibodies in female healthcare operators of childbearing age, to assess the risk of a breakthrough infection and the need for an additional dose of vaccine.

METHODS

We collected age and antibody titers from 449 young female operators aged <50 years who underwent the periodic surveillance at the Occupational Medicine Unit of the Policlinico Tor Vergata, Rome, from January to July 2022. Subjects were considered immune if the anti-rubella IgG titer was >11.00 IU/mL.

RESULTS

The rate of serologically unprotected subjects was 9.13% (41/449). The mean age of protected subjects was 26.93 years, while the mean age of unprotected subjects was 28.24 years. Age did not correlate with mean titer on statistical analysis (p = 0.10). The acceptance rate among unprotected operators was 31.7%. A positive attitude towards vaccination was found in 11/28 (39.3%) of the unvaccinated subjects, while a negative tendency was found in 2/28 (7.1%) of these subjects; most of the unvaccinated operators 15/28 (53.6%) prefer to postpone the administration of the vaccine. When compared with a similar population from the pre-pandemic period, the actual proportion of immune female subjects was not significantly different from that found in 2019 (90.87% vs. 90.3%).

CONCLUSIONS

Protection against rubella was suboptimal among female healthcare workers of childbearing age. Acceptance of the rubella vaccine among these operators was low. Most of those who were hesitant intended to postpone the vaccination, while a minority had negative attitudes toward vaccination. A policy of mandatory vaccination policy should overcome the reluctance of operators.

Assessing Attitudes and Participation Regarding a Pilot COVID-19 Workplace Vaccination Program in Southern Germany Considering the Occupational Health Perspective-A Mixed Methods Study

This mixed methods study retrospectively assessed attitudes and participation of employees, occupational health personnel, and key personnel regarding the rollout of a pilot COVID-19 workplace vaccination program in five German companies in May/June 2021 in Baden-Württemberg (Southern Germany) by combining survey data and qualitative interviews. A total of 652 employees completed a standardized questionnaire and we conducted ten interviews with occupational health personnel and key personnel with other professional backgrounds organizing the pilot workplace vaccination program. Survey data were analyzed descriptively and interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Employees participated widely in COVID-19 vaccinations at their workplaces, and most employees (n = 608; 93.8%) had a full COVID-19 immunization at the time of the survey. The main advantages of the pilot COVID-19 workplace vaccination program were seen in the flexible and time-saving vaccination offer as well as the trust in and long-standing relationship with occupational health physicians. The main disadvantage of the pilot vaccination offer was increased workload for occupational health personnel, especially during the roll-out phase of the program. The pilot COVID-19 workplace vaccination program was predominantly positively assessed, and the important role of occupational health services in managing the COVID-19 pandemic was highlighted. The main criticisms of the COVID-19 workplace vaccination program related to the high organizational and administrative burden. Findings from our study can support the development of future programs for the administration of generally recommended vaccination in the workplace setting in Germany.

Get vaccinated or else…employees' perspective on mandatory vaccination in the retail sector in Zimbabwe

The emergence of COVID-19 has resulted in many changes in the world of work. Measures such as remote working, physical distancing, compulsory use of face masks, sanitization among others. With time, a number of medical interventions to deal with the pandemic were developed and availed. Zimbabwe's retail sector was not spared of different vaccines which were meant to curb the virus. Most Zimbabwean organizations made it mandatory for their employees to get vaccinated or risked losing employment. However, less is known about the perceptions of employees toward voluntary vaccination. This gap is important given the strategic nature of employees in an organization. This paper poses the following questions (1) to what extent were employees consulted on the compulsory vaccination? (2) What are the employees' perceptions toward compulsory vaccination? (3) How are employees coping with the mandatory vaccination? The study was premised on the classical work of Kurt Lewin on types of leadership, specifically autocratic-democratic styles. Twenty shopfloor employees from two major retail outlets with functional human resource departments and works councils in Masvingo were purposively sampled and interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. The sample composed of women and men of different age groups. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data. The paper argues that employees have a right to be involved in issues that concern them. The study has established four levels of consultation existing on a continuum namely formal and genuine consultations, formal but less genuine consultations, informal consultations, and no consultation at all. The fourth level emerged to have been the most popular among most participants. With regards to employees' perceptions of mandatory vaccination by management, findings have revealed three categories which are, perceived good decision, perceived tight hands on the part of management and the them and us perceptions. Concerning reactions to mandatory vaccination, the study has shown that employees in the retail sector had a number of options to follow. Some went for full vaccination willingly or under duress, while others settled for a single dose. Most participants highlighted that they fraudulently obtained some vaccination cards. These findings support the relevance of engaging employees on matters that affect them. The study has therefore established the importance of genuine consultations between management and employees on issues that pertains the latter.

Employee Participation in Workplace Vaccination Campaigns: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

To reduce vaccine-preventable diseases in workers, workplace vaccination campaigns can be implemented on-site. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate adherence to workplace vaccination campaigns. Three databases, PubMed, ISI Web of Science, and Scopus, were screened systematically for articles in English or Italian addressing participation in an on-site vaccination program by employees. The following data was extracted: authors, year, country, type of vaccine, type of workplace, sample size, vaccination rate. Data on the prevalence of flu vaccination were calculated and pooled using a random-effects model. Thirteen articles were included in the review, ten in the meta-analysis. Most studies were conducted in the USA (30.7%) and most vaccination campaigns were against influenza (69.2%), with a pooled estimate of 42% (95% CI: 0.25-0.60%); participation rate was highly variable, ranging from 88.9% for an influenza vaccination campaign to 5.7% for a Lyme disease vaccination campaign. Offering free on-site vaccination can be a successful tool to ensure adherence to vaccination campaigns and administration of all required doses according to the vaccine administration scheme. The occupational physician can play a key role in implementing workplace campaigns for employee mandatory vaccinations.