Amazon To Open COVID-19 Inoculation Location In Washington State

Amazon COVID-19

In a bid to vaccine thousands of individuals, Amazon will bring a “pop-up” inoculation location to Seattle during the weekend, the New York Post reported.

A representative for Washington Governor Jay Inslee told the outlet that the clinic will be open on Sunday (Jan. 24) with the aim of providing 2,000 inoculations. The eCommerce retailer will team with Virginia Mason Health System.

The clinic will provide the inoculations to first responders, healthcare workers and individuals who are at least 65 years old.

Separately, Walmart is gearing up to provide coronavirus inoculations in seven additional states in addition to Puerto Rico and Chicago, Reuters reported, citing a company representative. Currently, Walmart is inoculating healthcare workers in Arkansas and New Mexico.

The retailer will begin offering vaccinations in Texas, South Carolina, New Jersey, Maryland, Louisiana, Indiana and Georgia, per Reuters. Only certain groups of people chosen by each state will be able to access the vaccines at a few stores.

The news comes as Walgreens announced that it had given over one million COVID-19 inoculations throughout long-term care facilities and other vulnerable groups. And Rite Aid recently announced that it was growing its no-charge COVID-19 testing functions with 60 more drive-thru locations opening on Friday (Jan. 22).

In a letter dated Wednesday (Jan. 20) addressed to President Joe Biden, Amazon said it was ready to assist with the COVID-19 inoculation efforts of his administration. “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,” Amazon CEO of Worldwide Consumer Dave Clark wrote in the letter.

The executive said that the eCommerce retailer’s size “allows us to make a meaningful impact immediately in the fight against COVID-19, and we stand ready to assist you in this effort.”