A male waits for pharmacist Joe Borge in Danvers, MA on Feb. 1,2021 On the very first day of Phase 2 of the COVID-19 rollout, senior citizens, 75 and over, get vaccinated in the Walgreens Drug Store, at 107 High Street, in Danvers.
Pat Greenhouse|Boston Globe|Getty Images
Walgreens and Uber are teaming up to make it simpler for individuals who don’t have a cars and truck or a neighboring pharmacy to get a Covid-19 vaccine.
The companies announced Tuesday that Uber will use complimentary flights to Walgreens shops and clinics for those who book a consultation and live in underserved communities. Uber will work with charitable partners, such as the National Urban League, to identify individuals who need the flights.
The pilot program will start in Chicago, Atlanta, Houston and El Paso, Texas. A Walgreens spokesperson said free trips will be used as early as next week in Atlanta and after that expand to the other cities.
The collaboration becomes part of a promise Uber made in December to use 10 million free or reduced trips to make certain transportation does not avoid individuals from getting the Covid vaccine.
Walgreens, the nation’s second-largest drug store chain, will take on a broadened role in the vaccine rollout later on this week. Walgreens will give vaccines to priority groups– such as older Americans or those with pre-existing conditions– starting Friday at some stores in 15 states and 2 cities, Chicago and New York City.
The Biden administration announced plans last week to start sending direct shipments of dosages to about 6,500 stores across the country It plans to ultimately expand that program to 40,000 pharmacies.
The vaccine rollout has actually been slowed by minimal supply. It has actually likewise reflected wider health-care inequities. The majority of the almost 13 million people offered a minimum of one dose of vaccine within the very first month of circulation were older, White and female, according to a research study by the Centers for Illness Control and Prevention Many vaccine sites have depended on online systems, which can be made complex to browse for older Americans or out of reach for people who do not have a cellular phone or dependable web gain access to.
Covid has actually had a disproportionate toll on Black and Hispanic Americans. Black Americans have actually passed away from Covid at 1.5 times the rate of White people, according to information put together by the COVID Tracking Project
Walgreens and Uber stated they likewise plan to interact in other ways. Uber said it will add in-app features that make it easier for Uber chauffeurs, shipment people and freight employees to reserve a vaccine visit when they are more commonly offered. The companies are establishing an educational program with the National Urban League to lower vaccine hesitancy.
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