New Mayo Clinic study on coronavirus vaccine effectiveness may be ‘wakeup call’
A new preprint study that raises concerns about the mRNA vaccines’ effectiveness against Delta has grabbed the attention of top Biden administration officials. The study, conducted by nference and the Mayo Clinic, compared the effectiveness of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in the Mayo Clinic Health System over time from January to July. Axios
Staffing shortages leave critical posts unmanned at Hawaii’s largest prison
COVID-19 outbreaks are a contributing factor to staffing issues in Hawaii’s biggest and most secure prison. Some 60 more corrections officers are out for various reasons, including workers’ compensation, military leave or sick leave. Hawaii News Now
Rhode Island: Pretrial conference/trial de novo
The Rhode Island Workers’ Compensation Court has held that where a judge denied an employee’s claim for benefits, the judge correctly determined that the employee failed to prove all the elements of her claim for benefits. Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly [may require registration]
Amazon loses federal fight to block New York pandemic safety investigation
A federal judge this week dismissed Amazon’s lawsuit seeking to block the investigation by the New York Attorney General into its employee safety protocols during the early days of the pandemic. In addition to ignoring its duty to follow cleaning and disinfecting requirements, according to the complaint, Amazon would fail to identify or notify employees potentially exposed to the virus through their contact with co-employees in the same facilities who would up positive for the COVID-19 virus. Courthouse News Service
Exosuits being used for lifting on construction sites
Construction ranks fifth on the list of the 10 occupations with the highest incidence rates of workplace injuries, according to data published in 2020 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. SAIF Corp., which provides workers compensation insurance and workplace safety services for Oregon employers and claim management for injured employees, has teamed with the Associated General Contractors Oregon-Columbia Chapter to begin a pilot project to test exosuits, in an effort to to help reduce back sprains, other injuries in the construction sector. Business Tribune