Daily Business Briefing

Days away from its deadline, Tyson Foods reaches a 96 percent vaccination rate.

By Lauren Hirsch
Published Oct. 26, 2021
Updated Oct. 27, 2021

Nearly three months after Tyson Foods mandated coronavirus vaccines for all its 120,000 U.S. workers, more than 96 percent of them are vaccinated, the company’s chief executive, Donnie King, said in an employee memo on Tuesday.

Less than half of Tyson’s work force was inoculated when it announced on Aug. 3 that it would require vaccines. Nearly 60,000 more Tyson employees got the shot following the announcement, Mr. King said. Tyson has said workers must be fully vaccinated by Nov. 1 as a condition of employment.

“This is an incredible result,” Mr. King wrote, “not only for our company, but for your families and our communities across the country.”

Tyson was one of the first major companies to mandate vaccines after incentives like paid time off to be inoculated started to lose traction. Its stance was notable because it included frontline workers even as labor shortage concerns prevented many companies from expanding vaccine mandates beyond the office.

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Lauren Hirsch joined the New York Times from CNBC in 2020, covering business, policy and mergers and acquisitions. Ms. Hirsch studied comparative literature at Cornell University and has an M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. @laurenshirsch

A version of this article appears in print on Oct. 27, 2021, Section B, Page 5 of the New York edition with the headline: Tyson Foods Exceeds 96 Percent Shot Rate. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe