Airbnb has offered to help the Biden administration with its vaccine rollout in parts of the country with limited access to health care facilities.
In a letter addressed to Dr. David Kessler, who Biden picked to lead vaccine distribution efforts, Airbnb’s senior Vice President for global policy and communications Christopher Lehane offers to identify homes that could be used as vaccine distribution sites, especially in “health care deserts” where there are few hospitals or pharmacies.
A woman browses the site of US home sharing giant Airbnb on a tablet in Berlin on April 28, 2016.(JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images)
“During the Second World War, businesses supported the national effort by helping turn America into the arsenal of democracy. We are deeply appreciative of President Biden’s call to action and committed to working with national, state and local governments to win the war against this pandemic,” the letter says.
The company also offered to work with U.S. hosts to house workers traveling to distribute vaccines if they need accommodations.
“As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt everyday life around the world and you and your team begin the monumental task of quickly and equitably mounting a national vaccination program leveraging existing health care infrastructure, our community of hosts could be helpful in health care deserts—areas in rural and remote areas of the U.S. that often lack traditional forms of accommodations for travelers.”
The letter points to Airbnb’s Frontline Stays program, which was created under Airbnb.org, a non-profit that provides temporary stays for frontline workers. Open Homes initiative is another program Airbnb operates, which offers shelter to evacuees, relief workers, refugees, and asylum seekers.
Amazon has also offered to help the Biden administration with efforts to distribute the vaccine shortly after Biden was sworn into office. (RELATED: Amazon Offers To Help Biden Administration With Vaccine Effort After Sitting On The Sidelines For A Month)
“As you begin your work leading the country out of 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,” Dave Clark, Amazon’s senior vice president of world-wide operations, wrote in a letter to Biden, according to Axios.
During the Trump administration, Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, was reported in May to have been in contact with White House officials regarding assistance to help with the pandemic response effort.
Biden has pledged to administer 100 million shots in his first 100 days of office, which is enough to cover 50 million Americans with the two required doses. Biden also signed executive orders to ramp up supplies for vaccination and requiring face masks in federal buildings and on federal lands, CNN reported.