‘Herd Immunity’ at Wall Street firms keeps return to office on track
COVID hospitalizations are up 32% and deaths 19% from the last 7-day avg.
Wall Street top firms closely monitoring spread of variant, hospitalization levels: Sources
Sources tell FOX Business' Charlie Gasparino as Delta variant spreads, Wall Street firms say 90% of their NYC workforce has been vaccinated.
Despite an uptick in COVID-19 cases, Wall Street chieftains are confident they have "herd immunity" among their New York City employees.
CEOs of Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs, at this time, say rank and file employees, of which an estimated 90% are vaccinated, will be able to continue returning to the office, FOX Business has learned.
Many firms started bringing employees back to the office in stages this summer.
NFL PLAYERS BALK AT NFL'S COVID POLICY
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPM | JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. | 248.55 | +3.79 | +1.55% |
| GS | THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC. | 602.79 | +6.74 | +1.13% |
| JPM | JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. | 248.55 | +3.79 | +1.55% |
Their stance comes even as alarming cases of the virus are being tracked with a 53% rise, according to Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who delivered an update on Thursday during the White House COVID briefing.
Hospitalizations are up 32%, deaths are 19% from the last seven-day average, she noted. Additionally, the delta variant represents 83% of the strains circulating in the U.S.
"We are not out of the woods yet," she warned.
States including California and Pennsylvania are pulling the trigger and imposing new mask-wearing rules.
Los Angeles County on July 17 revived a requirement that masks be worn indoors, regardless of one's vaccination status, health officials said. Some exceptions will apply.
"We’re not where we need to be for the millions at risk of infection here in Los Angeles County, and waiting to do something will be too late, given what we’re seeing," L.A. County Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis said in a virtual briefing with reporters, as reported by Fox News.
Health officials in Philadelphia are now strongly recommending universal mask-wearing across indoor public spaces, even for those who are vaccinated.
The potential actions of Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo are being closely watched should a new lockdown mandate be called.
On Thursday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was asked about the Big Apple's situation.
"We're going to obviously keep all options on the table going forward," he said. "We would not even be saying anything about mask advisories. If everyone just got vaccinated, this ballgame would be over."
Still, public policy remains a wild card and the potential actions of de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo are being closely watched should a new lockdown mandate be called. While unlikely at this point, it is on the radar of corporate executives.