Last Updated on December 16, 2021
Three BuzzFeed employees reportedly contracted COVID-19 after a company “holiday party” last week, despite the party requiring COVID-19 vaccines and face masks. Additionally, those who contracted the virus were triple vaccinated.
According to Business Insider, who broke the story, “The three positive employees told Insider they were vaccinated, had received their booster shots, and said they were experiencing mild symptoms.”
Insider also reported that BuzzFeed requires its employees to be vaccinated, meaning the individual who spread the virus to the triple vaccinated individuals was also almost certain to be vaccinated:
“BuzzFeed requires vaccinations for staffers, and partygoers had to present their vaccination cards to get into the event,” reported Business Insider. “Two days before the party, BuzzFeed updated its rules to require masks “unless you are actively eating or drinking,” according to the email, which was obtained by Insider.
A number of BuzzFeed staffers have tested positive for COVID following the company’s New York-themed holiday party last week, as cases surge in New York City. Vaccinations were required, as well as masks (when not eating/drinking) https://t.co/nZFf3xi0k3
— Steven Perlberg (@perlberg) December 16, 2021
Further suggesting the Christmas party was the nexus point for the spread of the extremely survivable virus, “One of the positive BuzzFeed staffers said they were notified via BuzzFeed’s in-house contact tracing team that they had close contact with a positive case,” reported Business Insider.
“The communication referenced that the contact might have been at BuzzFeed’s New York office, the holiday party, or at a group gathering in Los Angeles the prior weekend.”
So far the Omicron variant has spread mostly in vaccinated individuals, with 80% of all reported cases being in vaccinated people and only 20% being in those who have not had one of the vaccines.
There have also now been multiple reports of triple vaccinated individuals getting the Omicron variant, with this phenomenon first being reported in seven German travelers who had recently returned from South Africa. All had been triple jabbed, and some had received the Pfizer vaccine.
Additionally, in the United States the Omicron variant is most prevalent in heavily vaccinated New York and New Jersey.
Still, Democrats have suggested more mass vaccination is the only solution to the Omicron variant.
Joe Biden began suggesting this only days after the variant emerged in South Africa, and White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain specifically endorsed booster shots to fight the Omicron variant. The BioNTech CEO has joined this call, and has suggested three more shots may be required to combat the Omicron variant.
The variant has proven to be extremely mild, and reportedly shares DNA with the virus responsible for the common cold.
There are no known Omicron variant deaths in the United States, and most reported cases have not required hospitalization.
