Tech:NYC Digest: September 14

View this email in your browser

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

In today’s digest, Pres. Biden wants 70 percent of world vaxxed next year, a timeline for the vax for kids is coming into focus, and COVID safety meets job security with latest federal rules

Was this digest forwarded to you? Subscribe here.

By the numbers:

• New positive cases statewide: 4098 (+ 412)

  • New positive cases, NYC: 1,545 (+177)

• Statewide Fatalities: 28 (-1)

• NYC Positivity Rate: 2.2 percent (+0.1 percent)

• Statewide Vaccine Progress:

  • Percentage of adults (18+) with at least one dose: 81.7 percent

  • Percentage of total population with at least one dose: 69.2 percent

Today’s latest: 

• Pres. Biden plans to announce his goal of having 70 percent of the world’s population fully vaccinated by next year at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly meeting. (New York Times)

• Following the city’s latest school vaccination requirements, an arbitrator has ruled that New York City must offer teachers with certain medical and religious exemptions non-classroom assignments.The teachers' union previously argued that the city's requirement that all school employees be vaccinated by September 27 was "draconian." (Gothamist)

• Pfizer announced that it could release clinical trial data on vaccine efficacy in kids aged six months to five years old by the end of October. It is unclear how long the FDA would take to approve the vaccine following that. (CNBC)

• In an abnormal year, the Met Gala felt like a delightful brand of New York normal and in many ways is the centerpiece of New York’s quasi-reemergence from the still-ongoing pandemic. (Washington Post) 

  • The Met Gala is typically held on the first Monday in May, but this year, the event was postponed due to COVID-19 and fell right in the middle of fashion month—meaning the stakes for stellar style on the red carpet were especially high. (Vogue)

In other reading:

• Why do Covid rapid tests cost so much even after Biden's push for lower prices? (NBC News)

• In New York, a Fake Vax Card Is As Easy to Buy As Weed (New York Magazine)

• 5 things travelers need to know about the “mu” COVID-19 variant (The Points Guy)

It’s becoming increasingly likely that if you don’t have a vaccine, you might not have a job either. And with Pres. Biden’s latest mandate, businesses have the backing to do it. (CNBC)

But there are still many questions for where and when the rule can be enforced — including what counts as an acceptable religious or medical exemption. 

• United Airlines has said employees seeking religious or medical exemptions to the company's vaccine mandate will be put on temporary leave starting Oct. 2, while the company works to institute safety measures for unvaccinated employees. (NPR)

The EEOC has specified that religious objections do not have to be recognized by an organized religion and can be beliefs that are new, uncommon or “seem illogical or unreasonable to others.” (New York Times)

• They cannot be based only on social or political beliefs. That means employers must try to distinguish between primarily political objections from people who may happen to be religious, and objections that are actually religious at their core.

Meanwhile, individual companies and other institutions can determine what medical exemptions they will allow for COVID vaccination and may leave the decision up to people’s doctors. (NBC News) 

• Typically, medical exemptions are based on “contraindications” — reasons not to administer a product — cited by the FDA, along with guidance from the CDC and other leading medical groups. For the Pfizer vaccine, the only contraindication is a severe allergy to one of the ingredients.

• Medical exemptions may not apply to immunocompromised people, pregnant women, and most people with underlying medical conditions.

For now, we wait. The rule will be a major test of OSHA’s purview — and the future of workplace regulations more broadly. (Reuters)

In other reading:

• We are creeping towards a continuous working week (Financial Times)

• The new disruptors: Gen Z and the future of work (Fast Company)

• Can short-term jobs be lucrative and stable alternatives to full-time employment? Ask HR (USA Today)

• Courier Health, a New York-based patient engagement platform, raised $4 million in seed funding led by Work-Bench. (Work-Bench)

• Melio, a New York-based B2B payments platform for small businesses, raised $250 million in Series D funding at a $4 billion valuation. Thrive Capital and General Catalyst co-led the round and were joined by Tiger Capital, Accel, Bessemer, Coatue, Corner Ventures, and Latitude. (Reuters)

• Ribbon, a New York-based homeownership platform, raised $150 million in Series C funding. Greenspring Associates led the round and was joined by First American Financial, Waterfall Asset Management, TriplePoint Capital, 75 & Sunny Ventures, as well as insiders Greylock, Bain Capital Ventures, NFX, Nyca, and Thomvest. (PYMNTS)

• Tia, a New York-based women's healthcare provider, raised $100 million in Series B funding. Lone Pine Capital led the round and was joined by Threshold, Define Ventures, Torch Capital, ACME, Compound, Combine, The Helm, Human Ventures, Seae Ventures, and Gingerbread Capital. (Forbes)

• September 15: Virtual: Creating the Right Culture for Hybrid Work, with Twitter chief human resources officer Jennifer Christie, Menlo Ventures partner Naomi Ionita, Trello co-founder Michael Pryor, and others. Hosted by Protocol. Register here.

• September 17: Virtual: Gen Z VC Summit, with Lerer Hippeau partner Andrea Hippeau, Cowboy Ventures Principal Jillian Williams, Acrew Capital investor John Smothers, and others. Hosted by Lerer Hippeau. Register here.

• September 20 – 23: Diversity Reboot Series: Early Career Connections and Mid-Career Pivots, with Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani, Path Forward executive director Tami Forman, and others. Hosted by PowerToFly. Register 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.