It seems that, as a society, there is always something to worry about. Even when good news breaks through the din of negativity we still seem to find elements of concern to worry about. Such is the case with the newly created COVID vaccinations being distributed across the country. Created in record time, the two FDA-approved drugs were created and deployed at breathtaking speed. The average time for a new medicine to be developed and approved in the US is over 12 years. The Moderna and Phizer vaccines were developed and approved in under 10 months. That did not give us much time to consider any negatives or consequences that may exist with these new solutions. And it seems that, with over 1,000,000 people receiving vaccinations every day in the country, the time to figure everything out is rapidly passing us by.
This is really the case with employers in the nation. Should they require the vaccine for their employees? If an employee reacts, are they liable? What are the consequences of not requiring vaccines, and experiencing a COVID outbreak in the workplace? So many questions, and literally no time with which to define the answers.
This past week we announced the first Hot Seat Webinar for 2021 intended to take on that topic and to try to bring some clarity to the matter. “I’ve Got You Under My Skin, So Hit Me With Your Best Shot In The Dark – An Ode to COVID Vaccination Liabilities,” will be presented Thursday, February 11th at 1 PM eastern. It is sponsored again this year by Safety National. It will feature attorney Bert Randall and the Founder and President of Cogency Medical, Dr. Hung Cheung. Judge David Langham and I have had our contracts extended another year will be returning as webinar hosts (It was touch and go there for a bit on the negotiations. My Green Room requirements are somewhat daunting).
The Hot Seat Webinar series has taken a somewhat unconventional approach for the industry, mostly because we believe a webinar should entertain as well as inform. We eschew PowerPoint slides in favor of live unscripted discussion and banter. Well, what we call banter some may refer to as bloviation, but you get the point. I should point out that our guests are highly knowledgeable experts, and the title is in no way indicative of their prognosticatory skills. They will have great information for employers and the workers’ comp industry. You will just have to accept that we insist on entertaining you in the process.
Along those lines, rumors that Judge Langham will offer up a medley of his favorite Pat Benatar and Frank Sinatra hits cannot be confirmed at this time.
Many questions remain unanswered about COVID and its apparent “preventative cure” for our country. This Hot Seat will touch on very timely issues for the industry. I invite and encourage you to register for this webinar. You may do so here.