COVID-19: Airline directs employees to get vaccinated or pay $200 surcharge

*Delta Airlines urges its employees to get vaccinated against the Coronavirus to protect themselves, their colleagues, loved ones, and communities as doing so is fundamental to the company’s shared values

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

Probably wondering how serious Delta Airlines, a United States-based international aviation firm, is about its employees being vaccinated? Very serious, says an agency report.

ConsumerConnect gathered effective November 1, 2021, any Delta employee who has health insurance through the company, but has not got his/her COVID-19 vaccination shot is subject to a $200 monthly health insurance surcharge.

Besides, unvaccinated employees will be required to take a COVID-19 test every week starting September 12.

United Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, report said, have also indicated they would mandate vaccines for their employees.

COVID-19 vaccination

In his comment on the latest development in the company, Ed Bastian, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Delta Airlines, while describing his reasons for the imminent, said all has to do with “the numbers”.

Bastian stated: “The average hospital stay for COVID-19 has cost Delta $50,000 per person.

“This surcharge will be necessary to address the financial risk the decision to not vaccinate is creating for our company.

“In recent weeks since the rise of the B.1.617.2 variant (a.k.a the Delta strain), all Delta employees who have been hospitalized with COVID were not fully vaccinated.”

According to Delta CEO, the fact that the Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine has been fully approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), any excuse is no longer valid.

He further noted: “We can be confident that the Pfizer vaccine is safe and effective, and has undergone the same rigorous review for other approved medications to treat cancer and heart disease, as well as other vaccines.

“Protecting yourself, your colleagues, your loved ones, and your community is fundamental to the shared values that have driven our success for nearly a century. Vaccinations are the safest, most effective, and most powerful tool we have to achieve our goals, live up to our values and move forward.”

Delta was among the first to invest heavily in onboard health safety, according to report.

Dating back to February 2020, the airline deployed “fogging” in its aircraft with an EPA-registered disinfectant.

The company also consulted with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) in order to ensure that it met or exceeded those agencies’ precautions related to the novel Coronavirus pandemic.

Kindly Share This Story