Tech:NYC Digest: August 17

Tech:NYC Digest: August 17

August 17, 2021 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

In today’s digest, NYC indoor vax mandate takes effect, more kids hospitalized for COVID than ever, and why mental health is the next big workplace issue.

  • 🚀 A big shout out to Maven, which today became the first women and family health unicorn in the US. Read more about their latest round here. Congrats to founder and CEO Kate Ryder and the entire team!     

Was this digest forwarded to you? Subscribe here.

By the numbers:

  • New positive cases statewide: 3,567 (-8)

    • New positive cases, NYC: 1,522 (+16)

  • Statewide Fatalities: 18 (+7)

  • NYC Positivity Rate: 2.6 percent 

  • Statewide Vaccine Progress:

    • Percentage of adults (18+) with at least one dose: 77.7 percent

    • Percentage of total population with at least one dose: 65.4 percent

(For fuller breakdowns, find the state’s numbers here and the city’s numbers here.)

Today’s latest:

  • The citywide mandate requiring vaccinations for both customers and workers to be indoors at certain businesses goes into effect today. (Gothamist) The mandate applies to restaurants, bars, gyms, movie theaters, museums, and sports venues.

    • Get the full list of affected businesses here. Currently excluded from the mandate are outdoor dining settings, office and residential buildings, churches, and community centers, among others.

    • The Excelsior Pass, the NYC COVID Safe app, or the physical vaccine card are all acceptable forms of proof, and official immunization records from outside NYC or the US are also acceptable as long as it has a name, date of birth, vaccine product name, and the dates/site of vaccination.

    • Businesses may face up to $5,000 fines if they don't require patrons to show proof of vaccination by the full enforcement date of Sept. 13. The city will send inspectors from various agencies to check compliance. (Crain’s New York)

  • The Biden administration plans to recommend most Americans get a COVID-19 booster eight months after they received their second shot and could begin offering third shots broadly as early as mid-September. Third doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are currently only authorized for people with weakened immune systems. (New York Times)

  • There are some 1,900 children in the US hospitalized with COVID-19, a new pandemic record for kids. That figure represented about 2.4 percent of the nation’s total coronavirus hospitalizations as of Saturday. Federal approval to administer the vaccine to kids under age 12 is still pending. (New York Post)

  • A new study found babies and toddlers are less likely to bring the coronavirus into their homes than teenagers are, but once they are infected, they are more likely to spread the virus to others in their households. The findings can be explained at least in part by behavioral factors, including the fact that very young children require lots of hands-on care and cannot be isolated when they are sick. (New York Times)

In other reading:

  • Delta Surge Drives Home Painful Truth: Covid Isn’t Going Away (New York Times)

  • Booster shots won’t stop the delta variant. Here’s the math to prove it. (Washington Post)

  • The Biggest Pandemic Unknowns Yet (The Atlantic)

  • It might be time for a mask upgrade (Axios)

Employees' mental health is quickly becoming a top concern for companies as they try to hold on to workers through the pandemic. 

  • In a 2020 study of 1,000 American workers, 80 percent said they would consider quitting their current position for a job that focused more on employees’ mental health. This was followed by the highest “quit rates” ever recorded in April and May of 2021, what some social scientists are dubbing the “Great Resignation.” (Fortune)

The pandemic has certainly created its own issues with loss and isolation, but employers are worried that it’s compounding a growing list of other mental health issues seeping into the workplace — namely burnout and addiction. (Axios)

  • Around half of U.S. employers say they are “experiencing significant workplace issues” with substance misuse or addiction by employees, according to a new survey from The Hartford. That's up from 36 percent in March 2020.

  • Workplace burnout is also rising, as 44 percent of workers say they feel fatigued on the job, up from 34 percent in 2020, per a study from human resources consulting firm Robert Half.

Employers can address the issue by prioritizing consistent employee communication, allowing employees to have flexible hours, expanding employer-subsidized mental and physical health benefits, and having regular discussions and interactions. (Forbes)

However, stigma still surrounds mental health and addiction, which can keep workers from seeking the necessary help.

Our take: Without chance encounters at the water cooler, it can become a habit to only discuss work matters with colleagues. As workforces transition to remote or hybrid, it'll be even more essential for managers to check in on employees' mental health.

In other reading:

  • Could company-wide vacations help solve burnout? (Fast Company)

  • How to Talk About Your Mental Health With Your Employer (Harvard Business Review)

  • ‘Productivity is through the roof’: Why companies are waging war on meetings to tackle burnout (Digiday)

  • The “Great Resignation” and the Future of the Workplace (Entrepreneur)

  • DistroKid, a New York-based music distribution platform, raised funding from Insight Partners at a $1.3 billion valuation. (Bloomberg)

  • InfoSum, a New York-based data collaboration platform, raised $65 million in Series B funding led by Chrysalis Investments. (TechCrunch)

  • Maven Clinic, the largest virtual clinic for women's and family health, today announced the close of its $110 million Series D funding round, co-led by Dragoneer Investment Group and Lux Capital, with participation from BOND and existing investors Sequoia, Oak HC/FT, and Icon Ventures. Oprah Winfrey also joined as a new investor. (Fortune)

  • Tropic, a New York City-based platform for companies to buy software, raised $25 million in Series A funding. Canaan Partners led the round and was joined by investors including Founder Collective and Shine Capital. (TechCrunch)

  • August 18: Virtual: The New Landscape of Going Public, with Benchmark general partner Bill Gurley and Nasdaq Stock Exchange president Nelson Griggs. Hosted by Axios. Register here.

  • August 18: Virtual: Personal Finance and Employer Benefits: the Impact of the Pandemic, with LinkedIn vice president of global talent and employee experience Nina McQueen, CARE.com CEO Tim Allen, and others. Hosted by the Washington Post. Register here. 

  • October 6: In-Person Outdoors: 2021 Propelify Innovation Festival, with Tech:NYC founder and executive director Julie Samuels, Capsule CEO Eric Kinariwala, Noom CEO Saeju Jeong, Bowery Farming CEO Irving Fain, and others. Hosted by TechUnited:NJ. Use code WeInventTheFuture to register for a free general admission ticket for a limited time here.

Any feedback or suggestions of things to add? Get in touch here. Was this digest forwarded to you? Sign up to receive it directly here.