Amazon sends letter to President Biden, says it is ‘ready to assist’ with U.S. vaccination efforts

Editor’s note: Story updated with Amazon’s response to questions about the timing of its letter. 

Amazon says it is ready to turn its facilities into COVID-19 vaccination sites and is offering other resources to the U.S. government.

In a letter addressed to President Joe Biden on Wednesday, Amazon executive Dave Clark said the Seattle tech giant wants to help the Biden administration reach its goal of vaccinating 100 million Americans in the next 100 days.

Clark, the CEO of the company’s consumer business, said Amazon has an agreement with a licensed third-party occupational healthcare provider to administer COVID-19 vaccines at its facilities.

“We are prepared to move quickly once vaccines are available,” Clark wrote. “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.”

Clark said Amazon employees who can’t work from home — such as those at fulfillment centers, Amazon Web Services data centers, or Whole Foods stores — should be vaccinated “at the earliest appropriate time.”

“We will assist them in that effort,” Clark wrote.

The U.S. is struggling with vaccine supply gaps, Reuters reported last week.

Here’s the letter in full:

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 hard 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.

Sincerely,

Dave Clark

CEO, Worldwide Consumer

Some questioned the timing of Amazon’s letter to Biden. The company said it offered assistance to the Trump administration and cited a letter it sent to the CDC in December saying that it was ready to help.

.@repkenbuck Actually, we didn’t wait. We offered the Trump administration assistance on vaccines, built new tools for researchers & public health authorities, engaged Operation Warp Speed on logistics & advised on testing, & flew in PPE from China when America needed it most. https://t.co/od3O9uJ3WZ

— Amazon Policy (@amazon_policy) January 21, 2021

Conditions for Amazon warehouse workers have been the subject of scrutiny and criticism from employee activists and politicians. Amazon has implemented safety measures in warehouses and fulfillment centers to help manage COVID-19 cases, and is conducting thousands of tests per day. The company said in October that more than 19,000 workers had tested positive or been presumed positive for COVID-19, which it described as lower than the rate of positive cases in the general population.

Amazon has boomed during the pandemic as millions turn to its e-commerce and cloud computing services over the past year. Amazon set revenue records for the third quarter 2020 and it is expected to report its first $100 billion quarter for the holiday period. Its stock price is up 70% over the past year.

To support its growth, Amazon has been on a massive hiring spree, adding more than 400,000 positions in 2020 alone. Amazon now employs a whopping 1.13 million people worldwide, up 50% from last year.

It is also continuing to build out its own logistics network, buying up planes, trucks, and more warehouses. The company grew its fulfillment capacity by 50% last year.

Amazon’s COVID-19 expense surpassed $7.5 billion through the third quarter and it expects to incur another $4 billion in COVID-19-related costs during the fourth quarter. The cost calculation includes money spent to help keep employees safe; additional pay for workers; and more.

Amazon was not included in a coalition of Washington-based businesses that are part of the new Washington State Vaccine Command and Coordination Center. The coalition includes Starbucks, Costco, and Microsoft, which is providing the state with technology expertise and support, while also turning its Redmond, Wash. campus into a mass vaccination site.