Atea Pharmaceuticals said Tuesday that its antiviral pill for Covid-19 failed to combat the virus in a mid-stage trial, leading the company to delay its pivotal study by a year.
The disappointing news follows a far more hopeful October update from Merck, whose similar antiviral reduced the chances that patients newly diagnosed with Covid-19 would be hospitalized by about 50% in a Phase 3 study.
There is a desperate need for treatments for early Covid that can be taken as pills. Current treatments, such as remdesivir and monoclonal antibodies, are generally given intravenously or as injections, and are difficult to distribute to large numbers of people. The hope is that pills to treat Covid could be given widely in order to prevent infected people from progressing to severe disease, hospitalization, or death.
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Atea, partnered with global drug maker Roche, said its drug, AT-527, failed to beat placebo at reducing the amount of measurable virus in patients with mild or moderate Covid-19, missing the primary endpoint of a 100-patient trial.
As a result, Atea and Roche are rethinking their Phase 3 trial. That study, designed to enroll up to 1,400 patients, has a primary endpoint of reducing the time it takes patients to recover from Covid-19 and secondary goals including preventing hospitalization. In light of the Phase 2 results, Atea and Roche are now considering whether to change the primary endpoint and target population. Data from that study, once expected this year, are now slated for the second half of 2022, Atea said.
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AT-527 works similarly to Mercks drug, molnupiravir, and was widely expected to succeed in clinical development. The problem might have been trial design. While Merck deliberately excluded patients who had been vaccinated for Covid-19, Atea did not, which might have skewed the results, according to the company. Merck also recruited only patients who had at least one risk factor for severe Covid-19, such as obesity or heart disease, while Atea required only a positive test and mild symptoms.
In a subgroup of patients at high risk for severe Covid-19, AT-527 outperformed placebo at reducing virus levels over seven days, Atea said, which could inform the companys changes to its Phase 3 trial.
Based on what we know now, this actually is not surprising, as other direct-acting antivirals, including molnupiravir, have shown similar outcomes in the mild-to-moderate outpatient population, Atea CEO Jean-Pierre Sommadossi said on a conference call with analysts Tuesday. What is reassuring is that viral reduction was observed in high-risk patients with underlying health conditions.
The news is a bitter disappointment for Atea, which has spent the past 18 months touting the potential of AT-527, developed as a treatment for hepatitis C, to change the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. The company, which commanded a market value of about $3.4 billion as of Monday, fell 70% in premarket trading on Tuesday.
Merck, partnered with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, is seeking an emergency use authorization for its Covid-19 antiviral and will make its case to a panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers on Nov. 30. Results for another potential oral Covid-19 treatment, from Pfizer, are expected by the end of the year.
Kyndal Nipper, who hails from outside Columbus, Georgia, had only a brief bout with COVID-19 but a more tragic outcome. She was weeks away from giving birth in July when she lost her baby, a boy she and her husband planned to name Jack.
Now Harrison and Nipper are sharing their stories in an attempt to persuade pregnant women to get COVID-19 vaccinations to protect themselves and their babies. Their warnings come amid a sharp increase in the number of severely ill pregnant women that led to 22 pregnant women dying from COVID in August, a one-month record.
We made a commitment that we would do anything in our power to educate and advocate for our boy, because no other family should have to go through this, Kipper said of herself and her husband.
Harrison said she will nicely argue to the bitter end that pregnant women get vaccinated because it could literally save your life.
Since the pandemic began, health officials have reported more than 125,000 cases and at least 161 deaths of pregnant women from COVID-19 in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And over the past several months, hospitals and doctors in virus hot spots have reported a sharp increase in the number of severely ill pregnant women.
With just 31% of pregnant women nationwide vaccinated, the CDC issued an urgent advisory on Sept. 29 recommending that they get the shots. The agency cautioned that COVID-19 in pregnancy can cause preterm birth and other adverse outcomes, and that stillbirths have been reported.
Dr. Akila Subramaniam, an assistant professor in the maternal-fetal medicine division of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said the hospital saw a marked rise in the number of critically ill pregnant women during July and August. She said a study there found the delta variant of COVID-19 is associated with increased rates of severe disease in pregnant women and increased rates of preterm birth.
Is it because the delta variant is just more infectious or is it because delta is more severe? I dont think we know the answer to that, Subramaniam said.
When COVID-19 vaccines became available to pregnant women in their states this spring, both Harrison, 36, and Nipper, 29, decided to wait. The shots didn't have final approval from the Food and Drug Administration and pregnant women werent included in studies that led to emergency authorization, so initial guidance stopped short of fully recommending vaccination for them. Pfizer shots received formal approval in August.
The women live on opposite sides of the Alabama-Georgia line, an area that was hit hard by the delta variant this summer.
While Harrison had to be put on life support, Nippers symptoms were more subtle. When she was eight months pregnant, she lost her sense of smell and developed a fever. The symptoms went away quickly, but Jack didnt seem to be kicking as much as he had been. She tried drinking a caffeinated beverage: Nothing. She headed to the hospital in Columbus, Georgia, for fetal monitoring where medical staff delivered the news: Baby Jack was gone.
He was supposed to come into the world in three weeks or less, Nipper said. And for them to tell you theres no heartbeat and there is no movement ...
Nippers doctor, Timothy Villegas, said testing showed the placenta itself was infected with the virus and displayed patterns of inflammation similar to the lungs of people who died of COVID-19.
The infection likely caused the babys death by affecting its ability to get oxygen and nutrients, Villegas said. The doctor said he has since learned of similar cases from other physicians.
Were at that point where everybody is starting to raise some red flags, he said.
In west Alabama, Dr. Cheree Melton, a family medicine physician who specializes in obstetrics and teaches at the University of Alabama, said she and her colleagues have had about a half-dozen unvaccinated patients infected with COVID-19 lose unborn children to either miscarriages or stillbirth, a problem that worsened with deltas spread.
Its absolutely heartbreaking to tell a mom that she will never get to hold her living child, she said. We have had to do that very often, more so than I remember doing over the last couple of years.
Melton said she encourages every unvaccinated pregnant woman she treats to get the shots, but that many havent. She said rumors and misinformation have been a problem.
I get everything from, Well, somebody told me that it may cause me to be infertile in the future to, It may harm my baby, she said.
Nipper said she wishes she had asked more questions about the vaccine. Looking back, I know I did everything that I could have possibly done to give him a healthy life, she said. "The only thing I didnt do, and Ill have to carry with me, is I didnt get the vaccine."
Now home from the hospital with a healthy baby, Harrison says she feels profound gratitude tempered with survivors guilt.
I cry all the time. Just little things. Feeding her or hugging my 4-year-old. Just the thought of them having to go through life without me and thats a lot of peoples reality right now, Harrison said. It was very scary and it all could have been prevented if I had gotten a vaccination.
By Catherine Shaffer
A student waiting to receive a covid-19 vaccine in Irans capital Tehran
AFP via Getty Images
Nearly everyone in Iran has beeninfected by the coronavirus at some point during the covid-19 pandemic, and some have caught the virus more than once, but the country still hasnt achieved herd immunity. Instead, Iran is seeing apunishing new wave of deaths driven by the delta variant.
Iran was one of the first countries after China to be hit by the pandemic, and it had a slow start to its vaccine roll-out. By July
The new website marks the creation of a single landing page for COVID-19 dashboards that is easy to access, rather than having to navigate different dashboards on different platforms. The new data homepage links to 16 key data pages organized into five major categories. In addition, the Department of Health retooled several dashboards that were created early in the pandemic to provide information in a manner that is easier to understand and more relevant to current needs.
SUMMARY OF DASHBOARD UPDATE
On the new COVID-19 Testing Dashboard:
The COVID-19 Early Warning Monitoring Dashboard hasbeen removedas it was built to support regional reopeningmetrics that are no longer relevant. Cases per 100k is available on the COVID-19 Testing Dashboard, and detailed hospitalizationinformation isnow available on Health Data NY.
SUMMARY OF DATASET UPDATES
In addition to the dashboards, additional datasets are now available on Health Data NY, a public database that allows users to access health information in multiple downloadable formats such as Excel. Health Data NY now includes additional self-reported data from the COVID-19 School Report Card, nursing home and adult care facility fatality data, and hospital admissions by gender and zip code, as well as hospital capacity and staff vaccination numbers.
Full list of additions to Health Data NY:
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Durst appeared in court two days ago for his sentencing.
October 16, 2021, 10:01 PM
5 min read
Robert Durst has been diagnosed with COVID-19, his attorney confirmed Saturday, two days after the real estate heir was sentenced to life in prison on a first-degree murder conviction. He is currently in the hospital, county records show.
Durst, 78, was sentenced Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2000 killing of Susan Berman, his close confidant. The wheelchair-bound Durst appeared in the courtroom for his sentencing, looking frail and wearing a face mask.
Robert Durst is sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for killing his best friend Susan Berman at the Airport Courthouse, Oct. 14, 2021, in Los Angeles.
His attorney, Dick DeGuerin, did not share any additional details on Durst's condition with ABC News. However, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's inmate records show he was admitted late Friday to the LAC + USC Medical Center in Los Angeles.
During his testimony in August, Durst detailed a litany of health ailments, including esophageal and bladder cancers, chronic kidney disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. He spoke with a raspy, weak voice, impacted by surgery for his esophageal cancer and COPD.
The high-profile trial has been plagued by a series of delays due to the pandemic. After two days of testimony, the trial was delayed for 14 months after the coronavirus shuttered courts, with testimony resuming in May.
In August, testimony was briefly paused again after a courtroom observer tested positive for COVID-19. There was another holdup in June, when Durst was hospitalized for an unspecified health issue.
Robert Durst seated with attorney Dick DeGuerin, was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, Oct. 14, 2021, in Los Angeles.
Durst did not appear in the courtroom when the verdict was announced in September because he was in quarantine after being exposed to COVID-19 by one of his sheriff drivers. Jurors found him guilty after deliberating for about seven hours over three days.
The New York real estate scion was accused of killing his best friend, Berman, who was shot in the back of the head in her Los Angeles home in 2000. Prosecutors alleged Durst killed Berman to prevent her from telling police she helped him cover up the unsolved murder of his wife, Kathleen Durst, in 1982. Durst has never been charged in his wife's disappearance.
Durst pleaded not guilty in 2018 to the murder charge for Berman's death. His attorneys have unsuccessfully sought a mistrial, arguing the lengthy delay impeded his chances of a fair trial.
Durst was also charged in the 2001 killing of a neighbor in Galveston, Texas. He claimed self-defense and was acquitted.
ABC News' Cassidy Gard contributed to this report.
But it will also take others getting vaccinated to help protect the most vulnerable -- and to help end this pandemic, CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen said.
"Yes, the vaccine does protect you, but (what) protects you even better is everyone around you is vaccinated," she said. "We get vaccinated as healthy people in part to protect the most vulnerable among us."
Powell, 84, had multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells that suppresses the body's immune response, as well as Parkinson's, said Peggy Cifrino, Powell's longtime chief of staff.
He was fully vaccinated and was scheduled to get a booster dose this week.
Breakthrough Covid-19 cases resulting in death, such as Powell's, are rare.
As of October 12, more than 187 million people had been fully vaccinated, according to CDC data. As of that date, 7,178 breakthrough infections had been reported.
In other words, 0.004% of those fully vaccinated had a breakthrough infection resulting in death. Among them, 85% were among people age 65 and older, according to the CDC.
Who can get a booster shot now
-- Those age 65 or older
-- Those ages 18 through 64 who are at high risk of severe Covid-19
-- Or those ages 18 through 64 who live or work in high-risk environments.
Mix-and-match booster doses may be possible soon
That authorization might come as soon as this week.
Covid-19 hospitalization and death uncommon in children
Children represented 25.5% of weekly reported Covid-19 cases, the group found. Over the past six weeks, more than 1.1 million Covid-19 cases have been diagnosed in children, but Covid-19 hospitalization and death remains uncommon, the group said.
Vaccine effectiveness differed only slightly within the age group, with 91% effectiveness for children age 12 to 15 and 94% effectiveness for those age 16 to 18.
The study included 464 patients -- 179 hospitalized with Covid-19 and 285 hospitalized for other reasons -- across 19 pediatric hospitals in 16 states between June and September 2021. The majority of patients had at least one underlying condition and attended in-person school.
Most patients were from southern states, where Covid-19 transmission was high. Those who were only partially vaccinated -- either with only one dose or less than two weeks since their second -- were excluded from the analysis.
Among the 179 patients hospitalized with Covid-19 in the study, 97% were unvaccinated. All of the critically ill patients were unvaccinated, including 77 patients who were admitted to an intensive care unit, 29 who received life support during hospitalization and two who died.
New Mexico under crisis standards of care
While national Covid-19 hospitalizations have recently declined, some places are still overwhelmed.
In New Mexico, the state health department has resorted to crisis standards of care. Hospitals will have to temporarily suspend elective procedures before having to decide who should receive care.
"Because of COVID, New Mexico hospitals and health care facilities have carried an unmanageable burden," New Mexico Department of Health Acting Secretary Dr. David R. Scrase said Monday in a statement.
"Today, the state is offering clarity and support as providers seek to make difficult choices about how to allocate scarce -- and precious -- health care resources."
Vaccine mandates in play for police forces
Throughout the pandemic, Covid-19 has been far deadlier for police officers than gunfire.
Members of Seattle's police department had a Monday deadline to be vaccinated or receive an exemption.
As of Monday night, 91% of the police force had shown proof of vaccination and 7% presented exemptions, leaving only 2% of the department having not submitted their vaccination status.
Those who fail to turn in any verification by midnight were told to not report to work Tuesday, and the city and department "will begin the process for termination for failing to follow the vaccine mandate guidelines," Seattle police spokesperson Randy Huserik said.
Washington state has also implemented vaccine mandates for state employees.
CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Deidre McPhillips, Amanda Sealy, John Bonifield, Maggie Fox, Joe Sutton, Jenn Selva, Rosalina Nieves and Adrienne Broaddus contributed to this report.
Sophia Smith has worked at NASA for 37 years, but is prepared to leave in the coming weeks.
She would not be leaving because she is exhausted after a long career at the space agency, or because she wantsto travel or spend more time with family. Instead she would departbecause she has decided she will not get theCOVID-19 vaccine. Smith is seeking a religious exemption to President Bidens mandate that all federal workers receive the immunization, but will step away next month if her request is denied.
I love what Im doing, Smith said. I love working at NASA. Her opposition to the vaccine, however, is paramount. If it gets denied, I told my manager Ill retire, she said.
Smithwas one of the federal workers Government Executive spoke to at more than a half-dozen agencies in recent weeks who objected to the mandate and are planning to refuse the vaccine, come what may. The Biden administration has made clear that any unvaccinated employee who does not qualify for a narrow medical or religious exemption will face discipline, eventually leading to firing. Smith, a software engineer for the Space Station Program Office based out of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, is herself leading a group of NASA employeesboth contractors and federal civil servantswho oppose Bidens mandate and are seeking ways to push back on it. The group has 96 members and is quickly expanding.
Im starting to turn people away, said Smith, who is using her time on nights and weekends to organize rallies and provide advice on how to seek exemptions, including key phrases to use. I cant keep up, she said.
Smiths group held its first rally at the Johnson Space Center last week, with more than 60 attendees. More are planned in the coming weeks.
While there is widespread scientific consensus on the safety and efficacy of all approved COVID-19 vaccines, and significant side effects or bad reactions are exceptionally rare, several federal employees said they are fearful of adverse medical impacts. One civilian employee for the Defense Department in Ohio said he will seek an exemption because there is a history of heart disease in his family and he has previously had bad reactions to flu shots. The Biden administration has advised agencies to follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in accepting medical exemption requestswhich do not appear to include those mentioned by the Ohio-based Defense workerand will require a signature and explanation from a medical provider.
Echoing a familiar phrase from federal employees who will not get inoculated, the employee said he is not anti-vaccine nor is he a supporter of former President Trump. He noted that he is working from home and should not be subject to a mandate.
I dont see why I should get vaccinated, he said. Like Smith, he will seek retirement if his request is denied.
The Biden administrations guidance for approving exemptions is broad and leaves significant discretion to individual agencies and managers. It requires agencies to consider not just the "basis for the claim," but also employees' job responsibilities, impact on agency mission and risk for transmitting COVID-19.
The Navy said in a form sent out to employees that was reviewed by Government Executive that it would provide a religious accommodation if the request wasreasonable and does not create an undue hardship for the [Department of Navy]. It clarified that philosophical, political, scientific, or sociological objections to immunization do not justify granting an exception or religious accommodation. Navy civilians were asked to complete a form that would be reviewed by their supervisor, equal employment opportunity office, the Office of General Counsel, human resources and other appropriate personnel to determine eligibility and potentially discuss an effective accommodation.
Employees were asked to explain why they were requesting a religious exemption, the religious principles guiding them, how long they held their beliefs, whether they object to all vaccines or if they had ever received one, and any documents that might help bolster their case. They were cautioned that any misrepresentation on the form may lead to firing or other legal consequences.
One Navy civilian who is seeking a religious exemption, a mechanical engineer in Newport, Rhode Island, said he found the form invasive and an attempt to trick him into saying something the agencycould use against him. A recent email to all Naval Sea Systems Command staff outlining the details of the vaccine mandate said, Frankly, if you are not vaccinated, you will not work for the U.S. Navy. The engineer said that language had a chilling effect and suggested all or most exemption requests would be denied.
Smiths decision to potentially leave NASA was perhaps easier than it would be for most in her shoes, as she was already planning to retire next year even before the mandate came out. She noted, however, that many of her colleagues are also planning to leave federal service. Some of those in her group are the breadwinners for their families, but are ready to take a stand and have faith that God will provide, she said.
I have more and more people telling me theyre leaving, quitting, retiring, Smith said. On her form, Smith highlighted that she never smoked, has no tattoos and generally believes her body is Gods temple, so I do not want this vaccine.
Karen Northon, a NASA spokeswoman, said the agency is still reviewing exemption requests and has not yet made any decisions.
"As the agency reviews and processes the requests, it is following all guidelines provided by the administration, as well as existing policies and regulations governing reasonable accommodations," Northon said.
Other employees are not going to bother seeking an exemption. Kristi Brown has worked for the Agriculture Departments Farm Service Agency for 23 years, but has decided to apply for medical retirement. While only certain employees facing disabilities that prevent them from doing their jobs are eligible for that retirement, Brown said she will leave federal service either way. Brown has a rare congenital cardiac condition, but does not think she would qualify for a vaccine exemption, especially after hearing that anyone who has so far applied has been rejected.
I loved my job, Brown said, noting that she remained in it even after receiving a terminal diagnosis in 2019. She added, however, There is no way I am getting that shot.
Those willing to leave their jobs to avoid getting a safe and effective vaccine represent just a small fraction of the more than 2 million federal civil servants. Few agencies have publicized their dataeven after repeated requests by Government Executivebut the agenciesthat have done so have shown significant upticks in vaccination rates since the mandate went into effect. The Veterans Affairs Department, the first federal agency to implement a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, has seen its vaccinated workforce increase steadily since the shots became obligatory.
One VA nurse in Las Vegas who just received her second dose last week said she made the choice to get vaccinated rather than risk losing her job. She said she did so with mixed emotions, as she feels controlled by her employer after getting immunized. Her husband has still resisted getting the shots, and some of her colleagues are doing the same. One doctor she works with has refused and has been approved for a religious exemption. A health technician colleague is terrified to get the vaccine and has yet to come to grips with the consequences: What are they going to do, fire me? she asked the nurse.
All told, 88% of health care staff at VA had told the department they were vaccinated by Oct. 8, the last day to get the shots. Management gave employees until this week to either request exemptions or prove they had, in fact, been vaccinated. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has stated that accommodating a religious belief could constitute an "undue hardship" for an agency if itcompromises workplace safety [or] infringes on the rights of other employees.
Some agencies, such as the Bureau of Prisons, where only about half of employees were vaccinated as of early October, and the Transportation Security Administration, where the rate is just 60%, are still lagging behind national averages. A union official recently estimated that between 10% and 20% of BOPs workforce would leave their jobs as a result of the mandate, while the TSA chief said the agency is building contingency plans for a mass exodus of employees. The Pentagon is butting heads with the Archbishop for the Military Services Timothy Broglio, who recently said no one should be forced to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Defense has affirmed that less than half of the departments 760,000 civilian employees have been vaccinated. Most federal workers have until Nov. 22 to be fully vaccinated.
While Smith at NASA is prepared to leave immediately if her religious exemption request is denied, she is vowing to fight on. Despite the longstanding and widespread precedent for government-mandated vaccinations, she views her efforts as integral to protecting Americans First Amendment rights and religious liberty values. Her group is working with First Liberty United, a Christian conservative legal non-profit that has promised to go to court to fight against any members exemption request denial.
Theyre prepared to go to battle, Smith said.
MADISON COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) - Two men pleaded guilty in connection to a homicide that happened in Canton on December 18, 2020.
Prosecutors Dario Robinson was shot and killed in the parking lot of the Canton Sportsplex. According to investigators, Jaheen Harris and Tyjerious Sims robbed Robinson of his wallet and car, and Harris shot Robinson.
Getting a job in the future increasingly depends on ones vaccination status against COVID-19, according to two different surveys.
More than half of small business owners say that they will only hire employees that have been vaccinated against COVID-19, one survey found. Meanwhile, a second survey also found that a third ofhiring managers throw out resumes that do not indicate an applicants vaccination status.
The surveys come amid a national debate about vaccine mandates in the workplace.
The Great Resignation: Why are employers in Reno, and nation, struggling to find workers?
Back in September, the Biden administration started requiring federal contractors to be vaccinated by Dec. 8 this year. The contracts include airlines, with the majority of U.S.-based carriers indicating that they will follow the mandate.
The mandates have received pushback, including a lawsuit that has temporarily put United Airlines plans on hold to put unvaccinated employees on unpaid leave starting this month. The debate over mandates is also playing out in the National Basketball Association, with Kyrie Irving not being allowed to play due to refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.
For a majority of small businesses, however, vaccination is shaping up to be a requirement for employment moving forward. Many in the private sector see vaccination not just as a safety issue but a financial issue as well, with COVID-19 infections among employees also affecting their bottom line.
Nearly 60% of small businesses indicated that they will only hire workers who are vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a survey by small business review site Digital.com. A little over 20% responded that they are considering a mandate while 19% answered that they will not mandate employees to be vaccinated. The survey polled 1,000 U.S.-based small businesses, most of which were located in the South and Midwest.
Several employers who were surveyed added that there is less of an excuse not to be vaccinated following the full approval of the Pfizer vaccine by the FDA. Barring a medical reason, all employees will be required to be vaccinated, said Yungi Chu, owner of Headset Plus.
Its the only way to keep every employee safe in the office and warehouse, Chu said.
Support for a vaccine mandate would also likely be higher among small businesses if it werent for hiring difficulties over a nationwide labor shortage.
Here are other key findings from the Digital.com survey:
Despite the hiring difficulties being experienced nationwide, the majority of small businesses surveyed still plan to require employees to be vaccinated.
It is really quite difficult to maintain considering the labor shortage situation in the market, said Caio Bersot, head of human resources for Rank-it. Still, I would not take a risk that would threaten the health and safety of the other employees.
Bersot is not alone.
A separate survey by ResumeBuilder.com found that the majority of hiring managers nationwide prefer applicants to be vaccinated. Of the 1,250 hiring managers polled by the survey, 63% confirmed that their companies are mandating vaccination against COVID-19.
About 69% also answered that they are more likely to hire someone who has already been vaccinated against COVID-19. A third of those hiring managers added that they would automatically eliminate resumes that do not show an applicants vaccination status.
Industries that showed a stronger preference for seeing COVID-19 vaccination status in applicant resumes are information technology, food and hospitality, retail, education, and healthcare.
These industries may be leading the way because some, like advertising and marketing, are very client-facing, and these types of jobs tend to be done in cube farm office spaces, where employees are close together, said career coach and professional resume writer Carolyn Kleinman. Others, like food and hospitality, healthcare, and education make sense, as those tend to be mainly in-person, with an inability to maintain proper social distance.
Opinions are more closely split when it comes to weighing qualifications vs. vaccination. Of those surveyed 53% were more likely to hire a better-qualified candidate who is not vaccinated vs. a less qualified candidate who is.
All in all, the results of both surveys boil down to a balancing act among businesses when it comes to COVID-19 mandates.
The results show many business owners walking a fine line between the ability to hire new employees in a labor shortage, keep current employees safe, being sensitive to employee concerns, and remaining profitable by not repeating the mistakes of the past, the Digital.com survey concluded.
Jason Hidalgo covers businessand technology for the Reno Gazette Journal, and also reviews the latest video games. Follow him on Twitter @jasonhidalgo. Like this content?Support local journalism with anRGJ digital subscription.
