Uber on Thursday asked the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to designate its ride-hail and delivery drivers as non-health essential workers entitled to early COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
The company, inside a letter to the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, said its drivers provided critical transportation for essential workers and allowed others to stay home and order food.
\”Early access to a vaccine is needed drivers and delivery people still play their essential role while also reducing the risk that they may inadvertently contract, or possibly transmit, herpes,\” said the letter, signed by Uber's head of federal affairs, Danielle Burr.
The letter comes as several industry groups, including within the food production, agricultural, consumer goods and trucking industry are asking officials to prioritize their workers for early vaccine distribution.
U.S. government officials have said that as much as 20 million people could be vaccinated by the end of 2021, but it would take before the middle of 2021 for most Americans to gain access to effective inoculation.
The CDC Advisory Committee is drafting recommendations for who ought to be prioritized for distribution, and on Tuesday said healthcare personnel and residents of long-term care facilities should receive the vaccine first.
A U.S. government agency in August included ride-hail, taxi, delivery and car rental services in a listing of essential critical infrastructure workers which included more than 300 other job categories.
