The Road to a Vaccine, Ep. 1: How a COVID-19 Vaccine Might Work. Plus, How Quickly We Could Get There
This new eight-episode educational video series will examine the latest efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and break down the complex process of developing a vaccine.
In Episode 1 of The Road to A Vaccine series, Lisa Ling interviews scientists and healthcare workers about how vaccines work, the impact of the novel coronavirus and whats being done globally to create a COVID-19 vaccine.The Road to Vaccine is a live weekly video series hosted by journalist Lisa Ling that delves into the work underway to develop a vaccine to help bring an end to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Tune in on Tuesdays at 12:00pm EDT to catch the latest episode.
Tune in live at 12 pm EDT on TuesdaysonJNJ.com,Facebook,LinkedInorTwitter. Come backat any time to watch a replay.
SINGAPORE: Over 70 teams worldwide are now in a collaborative race to test different vaccine candidates against Severe Acute Respiratory SyndromeCoronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19.
Although the pace of research efforts has been extraordinary, scientists still estimate that producing a vaccine, from innovation to access, will take at least 12 to 18 months. This timeline has the caveat if all goes well.
To the public, this seems like a long wait. But most vaccinologists who study and develop vaccines view this as very optimistic. It normally takes more than 10 years for a vaccine candidate to become an approved vaccine in a public immunisation programme.
Vaccine development is complex and financially risky. A vaccine candidate can fail at any point in development. Having a few candidates do well in clinical trials is considered a best-case scenario.
It is important to understand that all we have currently are experimental vaccine candidates not ready to be used soon. A vaccine candidate is not a confirmed human vaccine.
It must undergo ethical reviews, be evaluated in animal studies, for safety and efficacy in clinical trials involving human volunteers, before receiving regulatory approval and licensing for marketing and widespread use.
Vaccine manufacturing plants must be pre-inspected and approved for sterile manufacturing conditions, quality controls, and production ramped up to support potentially billions of vaccine doses.
Public health policies and financing decisions for national public programmes need to be in place. Follow-up studies must be set up to closely monitor the vaccines long-term safety and effectiveness with large-scale immunisation.
This is even more important for an accelerated vaccine using new technology against a new virus.
ACCELERATING IN PARALLEL
For the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists, regulators, government and industry leaders have been working closely to accelerate coordination of the different requirements to run at parallel speed with some vaccine candidates which have already entered clinical trials.
In addition to the World Health Organizations guiding role, the Coalition forEpidemic Preparedness Innovations was established in 2017 by the Wellcome Trust, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and several governments, and has invested in several projects to help speed up the development of COVID-19 vaccines.
Timelines for animal and human trial studies are being compressed, but always carefully weighing potential risks.
For vaccine candidates developed using more well-known and evaluated technologies, some clinical studies in human volunteers have started earlier and overlapped with animal studies usually carried out before human studies.However, some areas cannot be shortened or accelerated, such as collecting ongoing safety data on side effects.
Regulatory reviews are being sped up. Instead of requiring submission of all information from completed clinical trials, regulatory agencies are now open to receiving data on an ongoing rolling basis.
To save on time needed for analysis and discussion, chapters of clinical trial data can be submitted for review in real-time, rather than wait until the end to submit the usual complete book of data when all trials are finished.
Each vaccine has its own benefits and risks profile. Regulators must be updated and agile to manage risk tolerance and potential benefits of these urgently needed new technologies.
Manufacturing plans are also being accelerated in some countries.Plans in the US are already underway to scale up manufacturing to produce massive amounts of certain vaccine candidates.
Bill Gates has publicly supported developing manufacturing capacity for some vaccine candidates just starting clinical trials, fully aware not all candidates will cross the finish line.
Such early production, with quality checks done in advance, can shave off weeks to months for manufacturing billions of vaccine doses needed to reduce the ongoing human and economic toll.
Several questions are emerging surrounding financing and equitable distribution of any vaccines that get developed. What will it cost? Will the vaccine be considered a common good for all people? Will the technology be shared? Which countries and which populations groups are prioritised to gain access first?
This last question is a concern if countries with ongoing spread are unable to afford a vaccination programme. Strong leadership, global governance and a collective commitment to social justice will be needed.
HOW VACCINES WORK
All vaccines work using the same principles.A healthy person (the vaccinee) is given a piece of the germ or the germ itself in order to give a heads up to his or her immune system, so that it can later recognise and tackle the virus appropriately.
If the person gets exposed to the real virus later, his or her immune memory will activate earlier to kill the virus and block its spread. The vaccinee stays healthy, often unaware of being exposed to the threat.
Choosing the best picture (antigens) of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to show to our immune systems, in order to stimulate the right immune memory and appropriate antibodies, is where the challenge really lies for scientists.
A good, safe and effective SARS-CoV-2 vaccine must accurately capture the important features of this virus in order to generate the best immune memory. Ideally, a vaccine would show the immune system the entire process of SARS-CoV-2 infection so that it can develop ways to attack the virus at different fronts.
But it is challenging to genetically weaken SARS-CoV-2 such that it would cause infection but not the disease itself.
Most vaccine researchers have thus turned to technologies that can present different pictures, or pieces, of SARS-CoV-2 to our immune systems.
Much research has been focused on the spike proteins forming the crown or corona of SARS-CoV-2. This appears crucial in how the virus attaches to and infects human cells.
We are beginning to learn that the spike protein is liberally decorated with sugars. Displaying the right sugars on vaccines appears important to show the immune system the correct picture.
Some vaccine candidates in the running present the genetic code (RNA or DNA) of the spike protein. Our cells then translate the genetic code to make the spike protein in the body.
Another method is to insert SARS CoV-2 genes into a safe, licensed viral vaccine to deliver the piece of SARS CoV-2 using a well-known, harmless virus.
We might not be able to develop a vaccine that provides the perfect picture of the virus to vaccinees. But even a partially effective, safe vaccine could be very valuable. The vaccine may not stop all cases or symptoms but could prevent severe respiratory distress and deaths.
When many people become immune either through vaccination or surviving the infection - the virus cannot infect enough susceptible people to propagate. This population herd immunity is needed to end an epidemic or prevent one from gaining traction.
THE NEED FOR DIVERSITY AND SOME LUCK
While there are many ways to make vaccine candidates, we do not yet know how to pick winners. Furthermore, scientists still have much to learn about how this new virus behaves.
There remains an element of luck when looking for a good vaccine against a new virus we are only getting to know.But our chances have improved with the unprecedented number of vaccine candidates being developed and with the scientific world so focussed on COVID-19.
The huge human, social and economic fallout from this pandemic means we should leave no stone unturned and invest heavily in a wide range of vaccine candidates to find good, safe and effective vaccines.
Many SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates are exploring using new technologies.To help shorten clinical trial duration and reduce the number of human volunteers, some research groups are studying the use of molecular technologies to complement clinical trials.
There is also hope that the similar explosion of studies for safe, effective medicines to treat COVID-19, including anti-viral medicines and potential antibody treatments, will yield positive results. These are likely to arrive much sooner than a vaccine.
The unfortunate surge of clinical experience in managing severe respiratory distress with COVID-19 could also lead to other best practices to improve patient outcomes where capacity is available.
MEANWHILE, CARRY ON
A COVID-19 vaccine will unfortunately not be available this year. If all goes well, a vaccine or even a few vaccines will be rolled out in 2021.
For now, other public health measures are essential to save lives, including early case detection, contact tracing, isolation and quarantine.
We must practise frequent hand washing, physical distancing, staying at home, avoiding crowded places, and wearing face masks if we really need to go out.
COVID-19 is testing our collective scientific ingenuity, our individual responsibilities and social compact at a national and global level.
We must stay committed to our individual contributions and believe in our collaborative power in science to help develop and deliver long-term solutions.
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Dr Tippi Mak is Academic Visiting Expert at the Centre of Regulatory Excellence, Duke-NUS Medical School, Consultant at the SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute, and Board Director of the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization - International Vaccine Centre at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada.
Professor Ooi Eng Eong is Deputy Director at the Emerging Infectious Diseases Programme, Duke-NUS Medical School and Co-Director at the Viral Research and Experimental Medicine Centre@SingHealth Duke-NUS.
Professor John CW Lim is Executive Director at the Centre of Regulatory Excellence, Duke-NUS Medical School, Policy Core Lead at the SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute, and Chairman of the Singapore Clinical Research Institute & National Health Innovation Centre.
A participant in a COVID-19 vaccine trial receives an injection in Kansas City, Mo., on April 8, 2020.
The Canadian Press
Question: Ive read that it could be one to two years before we have a vaccine that will guard against COVID-19. Why is it going to take so long?
Answer: The development of any vaccine can be compared to a long and challenging marathon with an uncertain outcome and that is especially true when dealing with a new pathogen.
The purpose of a vaccine is to expose the bodys immune system to some portion of the virus so it can prepare in advance for a real attack. For instance, a vaccine might include an antigen, or protein, from the surface of the virus. But finding the antigen that will trigger an effective immune response is easier said than done.
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Science cannot be rushed, says Rob Kozak, a clinical microbiologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. Researchers must follow well-established regulatory protocols that are designed to ensure a therapy is both effective and safe.
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Viruses are constantly mutating and evolving. The strain of a virus circulating in Canada might be slightly different from the one in China or Europe. This means the antigen must produce immunity against all strains, or variants, of the virus.
Once an antigen is selected, it has to be tested in animals before human trials can begin. Finding the appropriate animal model also presents challenges. The animal needs to respond to the virus and the vaccine in the same way as people.
Fortunately, researchers can look to previous vaccine studies for clues on how to respond to the current pandemic, including selecting appropriate animal models and viral targets.
The COVID-19 illness is caused by a coronavirus, officially known as SARS-CoV-2. In recent years, humanity has been challenged by two other deadly coronaviruses Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2012. During both of these outbreaks, researchers started to develop vaccines. In the case of SARS, the work was never completed partly because the virus ceased to pose an immediate threat; it seems to have morphed and disappeared. MERS vaccine trials are continuing.
Previous SARS research reinforces the importance of doing thorough testing in animal models before any potential vaccine is given to human volunteers.
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In one study, an experimental SARS vaccine made lab animals worse, says Arinjay Banerjee, an emerging-viruses researcher at McMaster University in Hamilton.
This study showed that when mice were vaccinated and then challenged with the pathogen, there was an enhancement of the infection, he says. The vaccinated mice developed disease more rapidly and died more rapidly than the unvaccinated mice.
Another study revealed that some investigational SARS vaccines produced negative side effects in some types of animals (such as ferrets) but not in others (such as mice). For that reason, many researchers are convinced that a vaccine should be tested in two different types of animals, Kozak says.
All this preclinical work is time consuming. Laboratory animals require specific time periods to develop a response to the vaccine and then to react to the virus. The clock cannot be made to run faster, Kozak says. And if an experimental vaccine fails, a research team could find itself again at the starting gate.
After a vaccine has successfully passed animal testing, it is then tried in a small group of healthy volunteers. This is known as a phase-one clinical trial. Its basically a safety check to make sure the vaccine does not cause serious side effects.
If the vaccine clears this critical hurdle, trials are expanded gradually to include more people who are observed for longer periods of time in order to gain a better understanding of its risks and benefits.
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Scientists around the world are already exploring various ways to deliver a COVID-19 vaccine. Each of them have their advantages and disadvantages, Kozak says.
To be honest, I dont think we are going to have just one vaccine, he adds. In fact, I hope we dont. I hope we have three or four amazing candidates that all work basically as well as each other, and that could be critically important because you dont want to be dependent on only one company to provide for the world.
Like other experts, Dr. Kozak estimates it will take between one to two years to develop a vaccine. And once a vaccine does exist, special production facilities will have to gear up operations to meet the global demand. That, too, will take time.
All of which means that a quick fix vaccine is not on the immediate horizon.
China has approved early-stage human tests for two experimental vaccines to combat the coronavirus as it battles to contain imported cases. Chinese citizens planning to return from neighbouring Russia are being told to remain where they are. Reuters
Paul Taylor is a Patient Navigation Adviser at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. He is a former Health Editor of The Globe and Mail. Find him on Twitter @epaultaylor and online at Sunnybrooks Your Health Matters.
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DIAMOND (HOST): Yes we do need to look at the community. But what we don't need to happen is what happened with Africa when Bill Gates and them took that vaccine to Africa trying to vaccinate. They felt like stuff can start right there in certain parts of Africa --
SILK (HOST): Africa.
DIAMOND: That's what we don't need to -- you're not going to make Black people the guinea pigs for this here right here.
SILK: We're not going to be your experiment or your project. Not Black folks.
...
DIAMOND: Kudos if you make your vaccines for people and you want to help people. But I have a problem receiving any vaccine from any entity, especially anybody like Bill Gates who pushed for population control. The same thing that Margaret Sanger pushed for.
SILK: Abortions. Genocide.
WASHINGTON, N.C. (WITN) - When the weather is nice, a popular gathering spot is the waterfront in downtown Washington.
Even with the pandemic going on, that continues to be somewhat of the case. Mayor Mac Hodges says other parts of Main Street in the downtown area are really quiet. Fast food restaurants are doing fine, but small businesses, like so many throughout the country, are struggling. He knows of some that have been forced to close, which has been hard on employees. Hodges says they have had to go find other jobs in the area in the meantime.
"A lot of people started walking and activity going up and down the waterfront out here," Hodges said.0" Other than that, it is pretty quiet. You can walk down Main Street and not see two people. At all."
Moving forward, Hodges said he is concerned about how a return to normalcy could impact those who are scared of the virus.
"People that are really scared of this virus are just going to stay home anyway," Hodges said. "They're not coming out until they feel confident that there's a vaccine or a treatment."
Hodges said on Monday night, the city council approved a 30 percent deduction in electric bills for this upcoming month.
Image: Vishnu R Nair/Unsplash
As U.S. experts have warned that concerts wont go head untilmaybe 2021, Californias governor says that they wont return until theres a vaccine against COVID-19.
This year has been a major bummer. At first, only a select few large concerts and festivals became cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns. Then, smaller gigs were given the boot. Once it hit mid-March, even pub-based gigs were halted.
As music fans await to hear when their sought after cancelled gigs will be rescheduled, it looks like we might be without live shows for even longer than predicted, especially if youre Californian, as the governor of the West-coast state has said that concerts will not go ahead until a vaccine is readily available.
The prospect of mass gatherings is negligible at best until we get to herd immunity and we get to a vaccine, governor Gavin Newsom stated in a press conference.
So, large-scale events that bring in hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of strangers, all together across every conceivable difference, health and otherwise, is not in the cards based upon our current guidelines and current expectations, he explained.
With many concerts already seeing rescheduling dates as early as July and August, Newsom noted that when you suggest June, July, August, it is unlikely.
Although we know that you all are itching to get back into the live scene, or simply have your jobs restored with live gigs, sadly by expert health opinions and government advice, it doesnt look like well be able to get sweaty and roughed up at the front of a Bad//Dreems mosh pit or sing along to the beautiful melodies of Tones And I live at any point, soon.
As healthcare expert Dr. Emanuel of the Healthcare Transformation Institute at the University of Pennsylvania notes, we probably wont get to that point where we used to be for quite some time.
Restaurants where you can space tables out, maybe sooner. In Hong Kong, Singapore and other places, were seeing resurgences when they open up and allow more activity. Its going to be this roller coaster, up and down.
The question is: When it goes up, can we do better testing and contact tracing so that we can focus on particular people and isolate them and not have to reimpose shelter-in-place for everyone as we did before?
Google says it will slow hiring for the remainder of 2020 and adjust its investments in areas like data centers and marketing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an email from CEO Sundar Pichai sent to Google employees that was obtained by Bloomberg. Google confirmed the authenticity of the email to The Verge.
Well be slowing down the pace of hiring, while maintaining momentum in a small number of strategic areas, and onboarding the many people whove been hired but havent started yet, Google said in a statement to The Verge.
We believe now is the time to significantly slow down the pace of hiring, while maintaining momentum in a small number of strategic areas where users and businesses rely on Google for ongoing support, and where our growth is critical to their success, Pichai said in the memo. By dialing back our plans in other areas, we can ensure Google emerges from this year at a more appropriate size and scale than we would otherwise. That means we need to carefully prioritize hiring employees who will address our greatest user and business needs.
Google hired 20,000 employees in 2019 and had been targeting a similar number for 2020, Pichai said in the memo. Google is also recalibrating the focus and pace of our investments in areas like data centers and machines, and non business essential marketing and travel, Pichai added.
The company is making the decisions in light of the continued economic uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic. They arent the only big tech company to reduce hiring because of the pandemic Microsoft is temporarily pausing recruitment for some roles, according to Business Insider.
FOND DU LAC COUNTY, Wis. (WBAY) - An additional 166 patients tested positive for COVID-19 in numbers reported to the state Department of Health Services over the past 24 hours. The state now reports a total 3,721 positive tests.
Brown County accounted for 17 of the new cases reported by the state.
There are 182 deaths -- 12 more than Tuesday. Fond du Lac County reported its 3rd COVID-19 related death, which was included in Wednesday's update.
The state reports 1,091 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized during their treatment, including 163 who are currently in intensive care.
Washburn County in northwestern Wisconsin reported its first COVID-19 patient. That leaves 7 counties in Wisconsin which haven't had a positive test: Burnett, Forest, Langlade, Lincoln, Pepin, Taylor and Vernon.
County by countyAdams - 3 (1 death)Ashland - 2Barron - 6Bayfield - 3Brown - 114 (1 death)Buffalo - 4 (1 death)Calumet - 5Chippewa - 20Clark - 9Columbia - 27 (1 death)Crawford - 3Dane - 351 (13 deaths)Dodge - 19 (1 death)Door - 9 (1 death)Douglas - 7Dunn - 9Eau Claire - 21Florence - 2Fond du Lac - 59 (3 deaths)Grant - 8 (1 death)Green - 9Green Lake - 1Iowa - 5Iron - 2 (1 death)Jackson - 10 (1 death)Jefferson - 24Juneau - 7 (1 death)Kenosha - 204 (4 deaths)Kewaunee - 5 (1 death)La Crosse - 25Lafayette - 3Manitowoc 4Marathon - 14 (1 death)Marinette - 4 (1 death)Marquette - 3Menominee - 1Milwaukee - 1,870 (105 deaths)Monroe - 10Oconto - 4Oneida 6Outagamie - 31 (2 deaths)Ozaukee - 77 (9 deaths)Pierce - 7Polk - 3Portage - 4Price - 1Racine - 138 (6 deaths)Richland - 7Rock - 62 (4 deaths)Rusk - 3Sauk - 31 (4 deaths)Sawyer - 2Shawano - 6Sheboygan - 37 (2 deaths)St. Croix - 10Trempealeau - 1Vilas - 4Walworth - 49 (2 deaths)Washburn - 1Washington - 78 (3 deaths)Waukesha - 238 (10 deaths)Waupaca - 4 (1 death)Waushara - 2Winnebago - 31 (1 death)Wood - 2
Michigan's health department reports 54 COVID-19 patients in the Upper Peninsula, including 27 in Marquette County. There have been 9 deaths.
Fond du Lac County reports 3rd death
The Fond du Lac County Health Department announced Wednesday that the illness "has taken the life of another Fond du Lac County resident."
Health Officer Kim Mueller did not release any details about the person who died.
"To the family, friends, and neighbors, whose lives have been forever changed by the loss of a loved one, there may be few words to comfort you. Once again, I am urging all Fond du Lac County residents to follow the Safer at Home order and only go out for the necessities, protect yourself and others. All of our lives depend on it," reads a statement from Mueller.
It's the county's third COVID-19 related death and the first death in more than 2 weeks.
On March 29, a man who was being treated at a hospital in Fond du Lac County passed away from the virus.
On March 19, Fond du Lac man Dale Witkowski passed away from the virus. Witkowski was one of the patients in Fond du Lac County who contracted the coronavirus while on an Egypt river cruise.
Other casesManitowoc County reported its fifth COVID-19 patient late Wednesday afternoon. Citing the patient's privacy, county officials aren't releasing any information about the patient's age, gender, hometown or whether they were infected by community spread. The county determined infections were spreading in the community a week ago, and Emergency Services Director Travis Waack emphasized the need for avoiding non-essential travel and private gatherings, and that people should maintain physical distance, wash their hands frequently, and cover their sneezes and coughs.
Sheboygan County's Division of Public Health reported Wednesday it has 38 total COVID-19 patients. Twenty-six of these are considered recovered. Ten cases remain active, and the county had 2 deaths.
CLICK HERE to track the virus in Wisconsin.
Spreading the disease
The coronavirus is spread when an infected person coughs, sneezes or breathes.
"These droplets can remain in the air and on surfaces for an extended period of time. When people breathe in (inhale) the droplets, or touch surfaces that have been contaminated and then touch their mouth, face, or eyes, the virus can make them sick," says the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
People infected with the virus can develop the respiratory disease named COVID-19.
COVID-19 symptoms and prevention
Symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. CLICK HERE for more information on symptoms. Emergency signs include pain and pressure in the chest, confusion, trouble breathing, and bluish lips or face.
The CDC believes symptoms may appear between 2 and 14 days after contact with an infected person.
VISIT wbay.com/coronavirus for complete local, national and international coverage of the outbreak.
DHS recommends taking these steps to help stop the spread of the virus:
--Stay at home--Limit your physical interactions with people--Keep at least six feet apart from others--Frequent and thorough hand washing with soap and water--Make essential trips no more than once a week--Covering coughs and sneezes--Avoid touching your face
Local and national health care providers are encouraging people to wear masks in public to avoid spreading the illness to others.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has issued a Safer at Home order restricting large gatherings, non-essential business and travel in the state. CLICK HERE to find out what the order means for you.
Amazon has decided to shut down all of its fulfillment centers in France after a French court ruled the company could be fined 1 million per item for shipping anything not directly related to medical supplies, hygiene products, and food items. The company, which plans to appeal the ruling, says that at the moment the risk [is] too high that it will run afoul of the ruling due to complexities in its warehouse operations. The shutdown will last from at least April 16th to April 20th. Reuters originally published the news on Wednesday morning.
Following the judgement of a French court on Tuesday, we have to temporarily suspend operations in our Fulfilment Centres in France. This is in spite of the huge investment we made in additional safety measures to keep our hard-working, dedicated colleagues safe, while ensuring they had continued employment at this difficult time, an Amazon spokesperson tells The Verge in statement. Our FC operations are complex and varied, and with the punitive 1M euro per incident fines imposed by the court, the risk was too high. We remain perplexed by the courts decision, which was made in spite of the overwhelming evidence we provided about the safety measures we have implemented, and have launched an appeal.
Amazon has come under fire both in the US and overseas for its handling of health and safety concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. The health crisis has only made the e-commerce giants services more vital as people shelter at home and rely more on online ordering and delivery of household goods, food, and other items. But more than 50 Amazon-owned facilities have confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to the Financial Times, and the company is now building its own testing lab to try to keep its operations running amid panic surrounding the viruss rapid spread through its warehouses.
Throughout the crisis, Amazon has been criticized by workers, activists, and politicians for not properly communicating to warehouse workers when a co-worker has been diagnosed with the illness and for not taking enough precautionary measures to prevent the illness from spreading by closing down facilities and deep cleaning them. In some cases, Amazon workers say they only hear about a COVID-19 diagnosis from co-workers, and in Kentucky, the governor ordered Amazon to keep its returns facility closed after numerous confirmed cases among the workforce.
According to Amazon, the Kentucky warehouse reopened on April 1st. The company provided this statement to The Verge regarding its measures to ensure employee health and safety:
Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our teams. Since the early days of this situation, we have worked closely with health authorities to proactively respond, ensuring we continue to serve people while taking care of our associates and teams. We have also implemented proactive measures at our facilities to protect employees, including mandatory social distancing, adding distance between drivers and people in the community when making deliveries, and providing masks for everyone to use, as we remain committed to keeping our teams healthy and safe.
In one particularly high-profile controversy, Amazon also fired a warehouse worker in New York City who organized a protest against the companys handling of health and safety issues related to COVID-19. The situation, in which Amazon claimed the worker violated the companys self-isolation guidelines to attend the protest, drew the attention of Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and accusations of retaliation. It was later discovered Amazon executives internally discussed how to smear the organizer in the media.
In France, the Union Syndicale Solidaires trade union filed complaints pushing for more oversight of Amazons handling of health issues during the pandemic and calling for the closure of facilities due to overcrowding. Amazon now says it is asking its fulfillment center workers to stay home. Amazon employs about 10,000 people in warehouses in France, according to Reuters.
In the mean-time, we are working through what this courts decision means for them and our French operation, the statement reads. While we will do our best to minimize the impact on French small businesses, those who depend on our FC network to deliver their products will be negatively impacted by this ruling.
Amazon says it will continue to serve French customers using its Marketplace sellers and robust global fulfillment network. However, its not clear if that means French customers will have to order from Marketplace sellers outside the country and have those products shipped in without routing through a warehouse, or if French Marketplace sellers will be able to ship the items directly or through an Amazon partner.
Update April 15th, 5:05PM ET: Added additional comment from Amazon regarding its measures to protect employees during COVID-19.
