Amazon Seeks Priority Access To COVID-19 Vaccine For Its Front-Line Workers

Amazon.com, Inc AMZN has written to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to prioritize its workers for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, the Wall Street Journal reports.

What Happened: In the letter to the CDC vaccine-advisory panel sent on Wednesday, Amazon’s senior vice president of retail operations, Dave Clark, requested that its front-line workers at warehouses, data centers, and Whole Foods Market grocery stores get early-access to the vaccine.

Clark said that Amazon’s essential workers had played an important role in helping consumers get the necessary products during the pandemic-enforced lockdowns.

Why It Matters: The letter stated that Amazon is the second-biggest employer in the U.S. after Walmart Inc WMT and employs more than 800,000 people.

“We request that ACIP continue to prioritize these essential workers who cannot work from home,” Clark wrote.

WSJ notes that Amazon’s request follows similar requests made by food, restaurant, aviation, and utility companies, who argue that their employees are critical to the economy function.

On Dec. 1, a CDC panel voted to give health-care workers and long-term care facility residents the first vaccine doses, CNBC reports. The panel will vote soon on which groups would be selected for the second wave of vaccine dose.

Price Action: AMZN shares gained 2.4% to close at $3,240.96 on Wednesday.

See Also: Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine US Supply Could Rise 40% As FDA Clears Use Of Extra Doses In Vials

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