Drugmaker Moderna said Friday it will require all of its U.S. workers to be vaccinated for COVID-19 by Oct. 1, joining other prominent manufacturers in mandating the shots.
The Massachusetts company said it will offer religious or medical exemptions on an individual basis.
“The safety and well-being of the Moderna community continues to be a top priority as we work to help end the COVID-19 pandemic with our mRNA vaccine,” said Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel. “This new requirement reflects our commitment to the health of our team, their families and society, as we know COVID-19 vaccines can help prevent severe disease, hospitalizations and death.”
Moderna is a key player in the vaccine push. It manufactures one of the leading options for vaccination in the U.S., a two-dose regimen with a messenger RNA platform that teaches the body how to attack the coronavirus.
It follows Johnson & Johnson, which said its 130,000 workers must be vaccinated by Oct. 4, and Pfizer, which said earlier this month said it expects its workers to be vaccinated but did not set a firm deadline.
More and more employers are mandating the vaccines as the Food and Drug Administration nears full approval of the Pfizer version this fall, with Moderna‘s likely to follow.
Moderna had 1,800 employees as of the end of July. The company declined to say what share of its workforce is vaccinated.
