Bird & Bird survey shows that 75% of London businesses would purchase a COVID-19 vaccine for their workforce

Bird & Bird survey shows that 75% of London businesses would purchase a COVID-19 vaccine for their workforce

Key statistics:

• 75% of medium and large businesses say they would purchase the vaccine for their workforce
• 44% would offer it to all roles, while 31% would only offer the vaccine to specific roles
• The pandemic has driven innovation across all sectors, with 71% of London businesses seeing or planning significant advancements in technology
• 39% say the cost of being COVID-secure is down to investment in technology and IT

In January 2021, international law firm Bird & Bird surveyed 400 senior decision makers in businesses based in London and the South East of England to learn more about how the UK’s capital has dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic and to gain an insight into how the city is looking to move towards a new normal.

Over the past year, the world has looked to the life sciences industry to find a route out of the pandemic. Vaccine programmes are thought to be a vital lifeline to recovery; and the survey revealed that three quarters (75%) of medium and large businesses in the capital would consider purchasing a vaccine for their workforce. What is more, 44% said that they would offer a vaccine to all members of staff, while 31% would only choose to offer a vaccine for staff who perform specific roles within the business.

The pandemic has driven innovation across all sectors, with 71% of London businesses seeing or planning significant advancements in technology as a result.

The future of London’s life sciences sector undoubtedly sees technology continuing to play an integral role, and as businesses work towards being COVID-secure, 39% say the cost will be down to investment in technology and IT.

Sally Shorthose, partner in the Life Sciences & Healthcare sector group at Bird & Bird comments on the survey results and provides her views: “London is part of the Golden Triangle of life science research, with Oxford and Cambridge. This is the third-biggest biotech hub in the world, and its reputation is still growing. There’s a huge opportunity for London – and the rest of the UK – to drive the sector forward.”

James Baillieu, partner in the Corporate practice at Bird & Bird explains how Brexit may benefit the sector: “Brexit enables the Government to be more agile, to put a regulatory  environment in place that’s potentially a bit more flexible than you might have in the EU, especially in emerging areas like artificial intelligence. That flexibility will attract activity and investment into the life sciences industry in the UK.”