Apple mandating booster shots for some employees: Report

Apple is reportedly set to require some of its employees to get COVID-19 booster shoots in order to be considered fully vaccinated.

Those employees who refuse to comply with the possible directive will be required to undergo ongoing testing prior to entering stores and offices beginning in February.

What are the details?

According to a memo obtained by the Verge, corporate and retail employees will have four weeks to receive an approved COVID-19 booster shot once they become eligible.

A portion of the memo said, "Due to waning efficacy of the primary series of COVID-19 vaccines and the emergence of highly transmissible variants such as Omicron, a booster shot is now part of staying up to date with your COVID-19 vaccination to protect against severe disease.”

The Verge reported that those employees who have already refused to confirm their vaccination status — or those who refuse to be vaccinated — must continue to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result beginning on Jan. 24. The outlet reported that it remains unclear whether this will apply to both corporate and retail employees.

Apple has yet to issue a public statement on the Verge's report and did not respond to the outlet's request for comment.

In related news ...

Mark Zuckerberg's Meta — formerly known as Facebook — has also said that it will "require COVID-19 booster shots for employees to work from its U.S. campuses and that it would delay fully opening those offices until late March," the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month.

Janelle Gale, VP of Meta's human resources department, told CNN Business that the move to continued remote working permits employees "more time to choose what works best for them."

"We're focused on making sure our employees continue to have choices about where they work given the current COVID-19 landscape," Gale added in a statement to the outlet. "We understand that the continued uncertainty makes this a difficult time to make decisions about where to work."