Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is urging states to prioritize his company’s drivers when determining who will obtain access to forthcoming COVID-19 vaccines.
“I’m asking governors in all 50 states + DC to prioritize drivers & delivery people for early vaccine access,” Mr. Khosrowshahi tweeted on Thursday. “These frontline workers should get the vaccine before people like me.”
Earlier this month earlier made a similar pitch to the federal government, and wrote to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to recommend the CDC designate its drivers and delivery people as non-health essential workers to gain access to the vaccine first.
“Early access to a vaccine would help drivers and delivery people continue to play their essential role while also reducing the risk that they may inadvertently contract, or possibly transmit, the virus,” Danielle Burr, Uber’s head of federal affairs, wrote to the CDC. “As such, Uber strongly supports the recommended prioritization of Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers for vaccine distribution.”
Alongside Uber, many other companies and industries’ lobbyists are advocating for the government to prioritize their workers for early access to forthcoming coronavirus vaccines.
