As stated recently by PA Chamber President Gene Barr in a call with our local chamber partners, vaccines are the first, second and third priority for our organization. Simply put, the sooner the majority of people get inoculated against COVID-19, the sooner we can get back to life as we knew it pre-pandemic.
Support from the employer community is key to our ability to achieve this goal. From the time that the first vaccines were rolled out in December, our organization has encouraged business leaders to get vaccinated as soon as they’re able to and encourage their workers, families and friends to do the same. Of course, supply and demand issues are delaying the rollout. While these issues continue to be addressed at the state and federal level, the PA Chamber is urging our members to be patient, continue to operate under the state and CDC-issued health and safety guidelines that are slowing the spread of COVID-19, and develop internal vaccination policies for their workforce.
The PA Chamber has been working to provide employers with the most updated and useful information throughout this pandemic. On our “Bringing PA Back” website that is dedicated to our post-pandemic recovery, you’ll find a new vaccine rollout page that includes a digital resource center from our friends at the U.S. Chamber. The center contains information about developing a vaccine strategy at your business; communicating effectively about vaccines; vaccine safety and efficacy information and worksite clinic resources. The page also houses regularly updated information on who is currently eligible for a vaccine and the people who are eligible throughout each phase of the state’s distribution plan; as well as a map of vaccine providers throughout Pennsylvania.
The nation’s long-term economic recovery from the pandemic depends on safe and innovative strategies to deploy life-saving COVID-19 vaccines, and employers play an essential role. In partnership with government and public health agencies, employers can provide a key source of support when it comes to community access and engagement, addressing vaccine skepticism and other key factors for adoption. We’ll continue updating the vaccine-related information on our “Bringing PA Back” website to give employers the tools they need as we work toward putting the pandemic in our collective review mirror and beginning the process of economic recovery.