A growing number of employers across a wide array of industries in the United States are issuing COVID - 19 vaccine mandates, and early evidence shows they are rapidly increasing inoculation rates among workers.
Vaccine mandates are proving to work, Dr. Steven McDonald, an emergency medicine physician in New York City, told Yahoo Finance Live.
Many people are hesitant and we re seeing that no amount of coaxing from the medical community and friends and family is working. It s the mandate of nudging people over that line, he said.
In New York, 92% of the state's more than 625,000 hospital and nursing home workers are now vaccinated against COVID - 19 after a mandate resulted in a 10% jump in the vaccination rate among those workers in just one week.
Still, some skeptical health workers are choosing dismissal over vaccination. Northwell, the largest health care provider, fired 1,400 workers or 2% of its workforce for refusing to get shot.
United Airlines UAL, the first major carrier to require the vaccine, announced last week that 99.5% of its workforce got at least one jab.
When TSN announced a mandate in early August, less than 50% of its employees had been vaccinated. This number is going through 90% now, with three weeks to go before the Nov. 1 deadline.
On Wednesday, leaders in Los Angeles approved one of the nation s strictest vaccination mandates. Beginning Nov. 4, patrons and employees at bars, restaurants, nail salons, gyms, even Lakers games, must show proof of vaccination.
The General Manager of the Golden State Warriors said his team will be fully vaccinated on Saturday night against L.A. Lakers on Oct. 19.
Even NBA star Andrew Wiggins, who refused to get vaccinated after his application for religious exemption was denied by the league, has got the shot.
Last month, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said that it could take many more vaccine mandates to get pandemic under control.
McDonald said we re seeing real success stories. It is an incredible win for vaccines.