The Department of Labor recently announced it will explore a pilot program to encourage COVID-19 vaccination among miners in Kentucky and Arizona.
The initiative comes as COVID rates in the U.S. are once again rising, especially with the rise of the Omicron variant. While COVID treatments are improving and vaccination rates are rising, the Biden administration is making a concentrated effort to target vulnerable groups.
“The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration exists to protect the safety and health of the nation’s miners from hazards in their workplaces,” said Jeannette Galanis, acting assistant secretary of labor for Mine Safety and Health.
The pilot program will be called the Mine Vaccine Outreach Program and will be operated by the department's Mine Safety and Health Administration. The goal will be to deliver free vaccinations in mining communities and provide educational outreach to mining communities in Kentucky and Arizona.
The purpose of the educational materials will be to show people in mining communities information about the effectiveness and safety of the COVID-19 vaccine. In these communities, vaccination rates are well below 60%, making it a priority area for the department.
Participation in the program will be voluntary for mine operators in Kentucky and Arizona.
According to the DOL, "On Wednesday Jan. 26, the agency will hold a public vaccine clinic at the Kentucky Crushed Stone Association Safety and Education Seminar in Louisville, Kentucky. Also, MSHA will host two vaccination clinics in Arizona this week for mine employees at the Asarco Ray Mine in Kearny on Tuesday, Jan. 25, and Asarco Mission Mine in Sahuarita on Wednesday, Jan. 26."
Galanis spoke about the hazards of COVID-19 and the importance for vaccination rates in these communities to rise, saying, “The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration exists to protect the safety and health of the nation’s miners from hazards in their workplaces. COVID-19 has killed more than 860,000 people in the U.S. alone and like other mining hazards, it demands we take action to prevent workers from suffering needlessly. Providing free COVID-19 vaccinations is a natural extension of our efforts to ensure safe workplaces.”
