On Wednesday, Amazon, whose owner Jeff Bezos also owns The Washington Post, wrote a letter to President Joe Biden informing him that the company was willing to help in the distribution of vaccines fighting the coronavirus.
NBC News reporter Dylan Byers noted, “For those asking if similar offer was extended to President Trump… I asked. Amazon rep said company was in touch with CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and Dept. of Health and Human Services last month. But no mention of a direct letter to President Trump.”
In December, The Hill noted:
Amazon reportedly asked the U.S. government to prioritize essential workers such as its warehouse, grocery store and data center employees to get the coronavirus vaccine, according to a letter obtained by Reuters. The letter was apparently written by Amazon’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Operations Dave Clark and addressed to the chairman of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
The Verge reported:
Among the challenges of getting the US vaccinated is completing the “last mile” of distribution — getting the vaccines from distributors to patients. Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines need to be transported while frozen, with Pfizer’s requiring ultra-cold storage. Once they get to a facility, they need to be thawed and quickly distributed. Lately, distribution efforts in the US have been complicated by confusion over who’s eligible and fractured access to vaccine sign-ups and appointments.
Dave Clark, the CEO of Amazon’s consumer business, wrote to Biden:
Dear President Biden,
Congratulations to you and Vice President Harris on your inauguration. As you begin your work leading the country out of the COVID-19 crisis, Amazon stands ready to assist you in reaching your goal of vaccinating 100 million Americans in the first 100 days of your administration.
As the nation’s second largest employer, Amazon has over 800,000 employees in the United States, most of whom are essential workers who cannot work from home. We are proud of the role our employees have played to help customers stay safe and receive important products and services at home, which is critical for people with underlying medical conditions and those susceptible to complications from COVID-19. The essential employees working at Amazon fulfillment centers, AWS data centers and Whole Foods Market stores across the country who cannot work from home should receive the COVID-19 vaccine at the earliest appropriate time. We will assist them in that effort.
We have an agreement in place with a licensed third-party occupational health care provider to administer vaccines on-site at our Amazon facilities. We are prepared to move quickly once vaccines are available. Additionally, we are prepared to leverage our operations, information technology, and communications capabilities and expertise to assist your administration’s vaccination efforts. Our scale allows us to make a meaningful impact immediately in the fight against COVID-19, and we stand ready to assist you in this effort.
Since the beginning of this crisis, we have worked to keep our workers safe. We are committed to assisting your administration’s vaccination efforts as we work together to protect our employees and continue to provide essential services during the pandemic.
NEW @NBCNews: Amazon has extended offer to President Joe Biden to assist with national Covid vaccine distribution.
In letter to @POTUS, Amazon Consumer CEO Dave Clark says "Amazon stands ready to assist you…”https://t.co/1DZ7apVy4H pic.twitter.com/DPoGi9yT4G
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) January 20, 2021
+ For those asking if similar offer was extended to President Trump… I asked. Amazon rep said company was in touch with CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and Dept. of Health and Human Services last month. But no mention of a direct letter to President Trump.
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) January 20, 2021