Jabs for frontline staff priority for firms | Economic Times

With Covid-19 infections inching upwards again and a third wave looming, companies are rushing to vaccinate their frontline workers — those who need to work even when restrictions are in place — so they can go about business with lower risks.At organisations including Urban Company, Flipkart, Amazon, BigBasket, Uber, SIS and Tenon Group, well over 90% of the frontline workforce including delivery staff, driver partners, service professionals, security guards, facility management staff and cash van drivers and officers have got at least their first dose of vaccine.“Considering the vaccine efficacy, the pace of vaccination will determine the nationwide expected third wave and its severity. To curtail the spread and ensure the safety of our employees, it is important that we get our employees vaccinated before the onset of the third wave,” said TN Hari, HR head at online retailer BigBasket where more than 90% of the frontline employees have been vaccinated.85082038At security company SIS, 228,000 employees, or 97% of the headcount, have been vaccinated with at least the first dose while 17% have got both doses. “We are targeting 100% full vaccination by September,” said group MD Rituraj Sinha. “For economies and businesses to normalise, the severity of Covid impact has to be contained. The only way to do that is to get vaccinated,” added Sinha. Vaccination gives a sense of security to clients as well, said Major Manjit Rajain, global chairman of security & facilities management company Tenon Group. Around 96% of the company’s frontline workers have been vaccinated with the first dose while 20% have got both doses. “Therefore, even if at all the cases rise, we can rest assured that there are minimal chances of getting infected,” said Rajain.