United brings back airport vaccines for employee boosters as omicron spreads

United started offering staff vaccines again at some of its busiest airports this week as the omicron variant continues to spread throughout the US and within its own employee ranks. The Chicago-based airline is administering Covid-19 booster shots at several of its busiest hubs: Newark Liberty International Airport, George Bush Intercontinental/Houston Airport, Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Won Pat International Airport in Guam, spokeswoman Leslie Scott said. The airline last August established the strictest vaccine requirements of any US carrier, telling staff to get immunized unless they get a religious or medical exemption, or face termination. More than 96% of United’s roughly 67,000 US employees have been vaccinated. The company stopped its airport vaccine program late last summer. “This is another step we are taking to educate our employees on the importance of boosters and make them easily accessible,” said Scott. The company isn’t currently changing its definition of fully vaccinated to include boosters, she said. United’s revival of the airport vaccination program comes as the rapid spread of omicron sidelined airline workers, contributing to 20,000 flight cancellations between Christmas Eve and the first week of January.<br/>