APG Newsletter October 2021

NEWSLETTER

OCTOBER 2021

HUMAN RESOURCES

Presenting the Flags at 911 Anniversary Photo by Elaine Allen

SUBMIT YOUR PHOTO & WIN! Submit a photo to be featured in the monthly newsletter. Each month, the person whose photo is selected for the front cover will win a $25 gift card!

SUBMIT TO SUBMITNEWS.ADAMSPG.COM.

AskHR!

Have a question, but don’t know whom to ask? The Human Resources staff is listening! You can always send an email to Ask HR if you have questions or concerns. Emails will be kept confidential and, if we print your question in the APG newsletter, we will not use your name.

Questions may be emailed to AskHR@adamspg.com or sent interoffice to your regional HR representative.

DON’T KNOW WHOM TO CALL? CONTACT HUMAN RESOURCES. JO ANN HOPSON, PHR, SHRM-CP, CEBS

APG Vice President of Human Resources - All states, TN/NC/FL joann.hopson@adamspg.com 423.620.8771

DEB BROOKS

HR Manager – APG OR, WA, MT, ID, UT, WY dbrooks@skagitpublishing.com 360.416.2187

GWEN DAVIS

HR Manager - Greenville, Rocky Mount, Elizabeth City, Key West, FL gdavis@apgenc.com 252.366.8139

STEPHANIE LUEBKE

HR Generalist, APG Southern WI sluebke@apgenc.com 608.755.8360

HUMAN RESOURCES

IMPORTANT COVID-19 VACCINE INFORMATION FROM THE CDC 1. There are multiple COVID-19 vaccines that have been granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This means the clinical evidence for the vaccines have met the agency’s rigorous scientific standards and are considered to be safe and effective. They have been studied in clinical trials with large and diverse groups of people, of various ages, races and ethnicities.

2. On August 23, 2021, the FDA announced full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for adults ages 16 and older. Full FDA approval takes longer than Emergency Use Authorization because more data needs to be processed and reviewed over a longer period of time. When a product is fully approved by the FDA, patients can be assured that its recommendation is grounded in large amounts of scientific data.

3. Vaccines teach our immune systems how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19 without having to get sick or put yourself and others at risk of severe illness and death.

4. Getting vaccinated is a much safer way to build protection than getting the disease. COVID-19 can have serious, long-term or life-threatening complications, and there is no way to know how COVID-19 will affect you. And if you get infected, you could spread the disease to friends, family and others around you.

chills. This does not mean you have COVID-19—in fact, it’s not possible to get COVID-19 from vaccines.

6. Vaccines are being administered by trained health professionals.

Some people might be offered a vaccine that requires two doses, given several weeks apart, while other people might be offered a single-dose vaccine. It may take several weeks after vaccination for your body to be ready to fight the virus if you are exposed.

7. Federal health officials have announced that most Americans who got the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines will be able to obtain booster shots eight months after receiving their second doses, starting the week of September 20, 2021. Health officials made this decision after concluding that a third shot is needed to strengthen immunity against the Delta variant. The decision is pending approval by FDA and CDC’s independent advisory committee.

8. If you are immunocompromised or have a weakened immune system, CDC recommends that you receive a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to strengthen your protection against Delta. You should speak with your doctor or healthcare provider about whether a third vaccine dose and other precautions are right for you.

5. You may have some side effects after getting vaccinated. That’s a normal sign that your body is building protection—and they should go away within a few days. Your arm may be sore or swollen. You may also feel tired, have a headache, fever, or

AUGUST MOVIE NIGHT CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR AUGUST WINNER LINNIE PRIDE, ATHENS MESSENGER, ATHENS OH The Questions Were: In “Field of Dreams,” What is the iconic first sentence that ray hears that is commonly quoted incorrectly?

The Answers Were: Laura Laymons and If you Build it HE will come.

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MOVIE NIGHT NOW PLAYING: FIELD OF DREAMS

HUMAN RESOURCES

COVID-19 VACCINES ARE SAFE AND THEY WORK. ADAMS PUBLISHING GROUP’S TOP PRIORITY IS • Adams Publishing requires all associates, whether vaccinated or not, to wear masks at all of its locations and for Associates THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF OUR EMPLOYEES, to follow all other protocols as established by our infectious THEIR FAMILIES AND OUR CUSTOMERS. disease policy.

• If you are sick with COVID-19 or think you might have COVID-19, stay home except to get medical care, separate yourself from other people and take other precautions to prevent the spread.

IT IS NORMAL TO HAVE QUESTIONS. • You should get tested for COVID-19 if you have symptoms, have • It’s normal to be cautious when something new comes along. close contact (within 6 feet for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period) with someone with confirmed COVID-19, or take part in activities that put you at higher risk for COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status.

• If you are already fully vaccinated, you should get tested 3-5 days after exposure, and wear a mask in public indoor settings for 14 days or until you receive a negative test result.

• If you are not fully vaccinated, you should quarantine and get tested immediately after exposure, and, if negative, tested again in 5–7 days after last exposure or immediately if symptoms develop during quarantine.

• Even after you are fully vaccinated, CDC recommends that

everyone wear masks in public indoor settings in areas with areas with substantial or high COVID-19 transmission. A majority of counties across the U.S. are experiencing either “substantial” or “high” transmission rates that call for indoor mask-wearing, according to CDC.

Getting informed about COVID-19 vaccines is an important step to help us stop this pandemic.

• Talk to your doctor or healthcare provider. We all need to be comfortable with our decisions and your doctor can help.

• OK...what questions do you have? ₀

For answers to frequently asked questions about COVID-19 vaccines, visit GetVaccineAnswers.org.

₀

If you have questions about vaccinations in the workplace or any other questions regarding workplace safety, APG infectious disease policy, masking or other inquiries, please reach out to your local HR representative or email askhr@adamspg.com.

• NOTE: If you have gotten your COVID-19 Vaccination recently

and need to report it to Adams Publishing Group, please email a copy of your card to vaccard@adamspg.com.

For your chance to be the lucky winner of an APG Swag and Movie Bag, answer the trivia question below correctly:

MOVIE NIGHT NOW PLAYING: SCREAM

IN “SCREAM,” WHAT DOES GHOSTFACE ASK ITS VICTIMS? All answers should be submitted to AskHR@adamspg.com.

The winner will be drawn on Friday, October 15, 2021.

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MOVIE NIGHT

MOVIE NIGHT NOW PLAYING: SCREAM

For your chance to be one of two lucky winners of an APG Swag and Movie Bag:

FIRST CHANCE TO WIN:

SEARCH THE NEWSLETTER AND TELL US WHO WON THE MOVIE TRIVIA QUESTION IN MAY FOR A CHANCE TO WIN THE SEPTEMBER MOVIE.

SECOND CHANCE TO WIN:

SEARCH THE NEWSLETTER FOR THIS MONTH’S MOVIE TRIVIA QUESTION AND SEND US THE ANSWER. *Contents of winner’s prize pack may vary.

All answers should be submitted to AskHR@adamspg.com.

The winner will be drawn on Friday, October 15, 2021.

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