PRmoment's new 'The Healthcare News Review' column will look at the biggest healthcare news trends every week and analyse the communications implications of that.

To jab or not to jab: the mandatory vaccine question

This month NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers said that he has been immunized-implying that he had been vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus. What he had done was take homeopathic medicine. While he later clarified he was allergic to a component of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine, he was still fined for violating Covid-19 protocols for unvaccinated players (not using mask all the time)  and received equal amount of criticism and support for his actions.

At the same time, President Joe Biden is trying to mandate vaccines for all companies with 100+ employees by January 4th. This order is being fought by various US states in the court.

In India, this week, the Thane Municipal Corporation said all their workers should get the jab or face no pay.

While the world is watching how the US bid to mandate vaccine for employers is playing out, it's an ongoing issue for Indian firms and establishments as well. 

What does this mean for communicators?

1) Employee vaccine mandates are very hard to implement in the private sector in the absence of government policy and vaccine hesitancy. This can only be tackled by health seeking behavior change on the part of people.

2) This means that health communication and behavior change communication has entered as a prominent mandate for all internal and external communicators. That's an added specialised communication skill needed.

3) If penalties are put in place for avoiding vaccines, the blow can only be softened by effective, empathetic communication.

4) In India, the overarching issue is also about the sheer availability of vaccines, through the situation has eased in the current quarter post the third wave.

The other stories that made health news this week are:

1) UK to recognise Covaxin vaccine from November 22nd, making UK travel easier for non Covishield vaccinated travellers.

2) Centre to buy 1 crore Zydus Cadila Covid-19 vaccines, at Rs. 265 per dose.

See you next week, if you want to share your views on the stories here, drop us a comment at @PRmomentIndia

Global Read:

Take a look at the Biden vaccine mandate plan:

1) Requiring All Employers with 100+ Employees to Ensure their Workers are Vaccinated or Tested Weekly.

2) Requiring Vaccinations for all Federal Workers and for Millions of Contractors that Do Business with the Federal Government.

3) Requiring COVID-⁠19 Vaccinations for Over 17 Million Health Care Workers at Medicare and Medicaid Participating Hospitals and Other Health Care Settings.

4) Calling on Large Entertainment Venues to Require Proof of Vaccination or Testing for Entry.

5) Requiring Employers to Provide Paid Time Off to Get Vaccinated.

Celeb Fake News: Celebs like Aaron Rodgers, Nicki Minaj, Alicia Silverstone('Clueless' much!), Black Panther actress Letitia Wright are all anti-vaxxers and vocal all about it.

For proper vaccine information look at this WHO explainer series.

See you next week!

News Curated for PRmoment India by:

Impact Research and Measurement