SHRM Quotes Joshua Sekoski on Impact of Breakthrough COVID Cases on Vaccine Mandates

SHRM has quoted Akin Gump labor and employment counsel Joshua Sekoski in the article “As Breakthrough Cases Rise, So Do Vaccination Mandates.” The article reports that, while coronavirus infections among those who have been fully vaccinated are adding to the skepticism about COVID-19 vaccines, they are also strengthening some employers’ resolve to mandate them.

Many employers, the article says, are not giving in to employee dissension when deciding whether to implement or maintain COVID-19 vaccination policies. Some, according to Sekoski, are imposing “soft mandates,” such as permitting only fully vaccinated employees to return to the workplace or requiring employees who are not fully vaccinated to submit to regular COVID-19 testing.

It remains to be seen, Sekoski observed, “how employer action impacts vaccination rates and case counts.” He added that recent full Food and Drug Administration approval of the Pfizer vaccine as well as the implementation of booster shots that is expected soon, will likely influence vaccination policies.