OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Despite the high efficacy rate, some people are still skeptical about getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
"What we have been doing is surveying team members to get an accurate count of those who want to be involved in the vaccination process and then ensure that it is efficient and as effective as possible when we receive the vaccine," said Tyson Foods spokesperson Derek Burleson.
Health experts say vaccines are the key to get this pandemic under control and slow the spread. Tyson has one plant in Omaha and two in Council Bluffs, which comes to around 10,000 employees. While they are encouraged to get the vaccine, it is not mandatory.
"We plan to pay team members for time taken to be vaccinated off-site or outside of their normal shift. If they come in before their shift or stays late to receive the vaccine, those additional hours will be added to the hours they worked for that day. If they go to an outside source and show that vaccination card, they will be paid for four hours of that time," continued Burleson.
Tyson said it has also taken steps such as working to install health clinics inside of their plants along with having temperature scanners and workstation dividers. They have even hired a Chief Medical Officer to keep workers safe. The cost for the upgrades come to about half a billion dollars.
So far, about a thousand frontline workers have been vaccinated.
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