Category: Public Health

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COVID-19 Pandemic Public Health

SUSPENDED? OSHA pauses Emergency Temporary Standard for businesses

The enforcement of COVID-19 vaccine mandate for businesses is now suspended by U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, pending further court order.

Timeline of events: less than 2 months ago, news emerged about President Biden’s plans for large businesses (>100 employees) to have employees vaccinated for COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing. Less than 2 weeks ago, U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced January 4, 2022 as deadline to meet this requirement, labeling it as an Emergency Temporary Standard (https://publichealthdisasters.com/2021/11/12/new-us-covid-19-requirement-for-100-employees/).

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COVID-19 Pandemic Public Health

New US COVID-19 Requirement for 100+ employees

Only a month or so ago, news emerged about President Biden’s plans for large businesses (>100 employees) to have employees vaccinated for COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing. Recently US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR OSHA announced January 4, 2022 as deadline to meet the new requirement (link).

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Crisis Public Health Research

New Report on Flood Risk in US Infrastructure

How informed are you with your flood risk and the flood risk of your community’s essential infrastructure?

New report by First Street Foundation found flood risk in United States to grow exponentially in upcoming years due climate change.

Climate disasters have already caused at least 388 deaths and more than $100 billion in damage this year in the United States (The Wall Street Journal).

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COVID-19 Pandemic Public Health

Growing Tensions Over COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates

What will cut the tensions over COVID-19 vaccines and various mandates placed by governments, businesses and institutions?

With many returning to the office, the growing tensions between the ‘vaxxed and unvaxxed’ continue to build. Spilling over this tension is now the decisions made by governments, businesses and institutions in instilling COVID-19 vaccine mandates. For example, 40% of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents in the nation’s airports and thousands of pilots have not reported their status with the deadline just weeks away (NBC News).

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COVID-19 Pandemic Public Health

Which COVID-19 Mandates to Follow?

Passengers on an American Airlines flight during the pandemic. SANDY HUFFAKER/GETTY IMAGES

Could politics, healthcare, and business decisions still provide good health outcomes to communities?

Implementation of President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement for federal contractors has now caught companies in between politics between State-level and National-level. The Governor of Texas, Governor Greg Abbott, has signed an executive order this week to now ban COVID-19 vaccine mandates given by companies. This is in-contest to the President Biden’s executive order given on September 9. 2021 about COVID-19 vaccine requirement.

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COVID-19 Pandemic Public Health

Workplace COVID-19 vaccine mandates working?

Opting in to COVID-19 vaccine mandates at your company? Strategy working to curb new infections at workplace?

COVID-19 cases in the United States have dropped by 25% over the last two weeks (Axios).

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COVID-19 Pandemic Public Health Research

Initial results from COVID-19 vaccine trial in children 5 to 11 years old

Today Pfizer / BioNTech SE announced positive topline results from COVID-19 vaccine trial in children 5 to 11 years old via press release (still waiting for full report and data).

Highlights given in Press Release of Phase 2/3 trial (link in below):

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COVID-19 Pandemic Public Health

COVID-19 Vaccine requirement coming soon at your company?

Photo Caption: President Joe Biden at a meeting with business leaders Sept. 15, 2021. Photo Credit: Oliver Contretas/Getty Images

COVID-19 vaccine or testing requirement coming soon at your company?

Recent news emerged that President Biden will be implementing a requirement for large businesses (>100 employees) to have employees vaccinated for COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing. If weekly testing occurs, details have yet to be released to whether the employer will have to cover the cost of weekly testing or the unvaccinated employees could use the free federal sites or would have to pay out of pocket.

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Crisis Public Health

Was Justice Served to Purdue Pharma?

Two demonstrators protest against U.S. Judge Robert Drain, who has granted immunity from future opioid lawsuits to members of the Sackler family. Brian Mann

6 months ago – we were discussing the plea deals with U.S. Department of Justice and Purdue Pharma L.P.. (the bankrupt maker of the OxyContin painkiller).

Purdue Pharma admitted twice (in 2007 and 2020) to illegally marketing opioid medications. Bankruptcy judge recently approves Purdue Pharma plan to resolve the opioid claims, in which also gives civil immunity to owners. The civil immunity gives broad protection from current and future litigation, even though there were objections from nine states and a branch of the Justice Department.

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Crisis Global Health Public Health Research

2021 Conflict Research Society’s annual conference presentation

Yesterday, our paper addressing how disaster risk in conflict areas can be reduced to meet United Nations Sendai Framework disaster risk reduction priorities was presented at Conflict Research Society’s annual conference.

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