Delta Air Lines says 82 percent of employees are vaccinated

Delta Air Lines announced on Thursday that 82 percent of its employees have been vaccinated against the coronavirus. 

Chief Health Officer Henry Ting said in an interview with CNN that after Delta announced it was going to add a monthly $200 surcharge to unvaccinated employees’ health insurance, the vaccination rate rose from 74 percent. 

Delta has offered multiple incentives for its employees to get vaccinated, including additional time off, a $100 health reward and a lottery for vaccinated employees.

When asked why the company just doesn’t require the vaccine, Ting said Delta knows “how to keep our employees and our customers safe.”

He pointed to how the company has had no COVID-19 outbreaks among employees and studies showing the risk of contracting the coronavirus on airplanes is low with masks and testing. 

Delta’s 82 percent vaccination rate follows United Airlines saying they have 97 percent of their U.S. employees fully vaccinated.

United Airlines has required all of its employees to get fully vaccinated in order to stay employed there.