Amazon is introducing Covid-19 vaccinations on website in some camps

Some Amazon warehouse workers may soon be vaccinated against Covid-19 at their workplace.

Amazon announced Thursday that it will be setting up on-site vaccination clinics at fulfillment centers in Missouri, followed by Nevada and Kansas in the coming weeks. In the clinics, which are expected to be in operation for around five days, employees will be given vaccines from licensed healthcare providers.

The company expects to set up vaccination clinics in additional camps across the country as more vaccines are available to frontline workers in other states.

It is because the US continues to accelerate the pace of vaccination and the nation is administering more than 2.5 million shots a day. Companies with key employees, including Amazon, have tried to give their employees priority access to the footage.

Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidelines that allow employers with a large local workforce to start setting up Covid-19 vaccination clinics. Agricultural giant Cargill, Tyson Foods, and a few Detroit auto makers and manufacturers are among a growing list of employers who have set up on-site clinics at some of their facilities.

Heather MacDougall, Amazon’s vice president of global health and safety at work, told CNBC in an interview that the company was working with an outside administrator securing the Covid vaccines on Amazon’s behalf.

“Most of these discussions are taking place at the state and local levels, where these decisions are made to determine who is eligible for the vaccine,” MacDougall added.

Some of Amazon’s frontline workers have already been vaccinated in states where they are eligible.

The company has encouraged its frontline workers to get vaccinated outside of the company by offering them a bonus of up to $ 80, or $ 40 for each dose. Employees who experience side effects from the Covid vaccine can take unpaid time off, Amazon said.

In its camps, Amazon has taken steps to allay fears and concerns about the vaccine among its frontline workers. In private Facebook groups, some warehouse workers in the US have expressed skepticism and uncertainty about the side effects of the vaccine or the potential that Amazon will require vaccinations for its workforce.

Amazon posted educational information and positive news about the vaccine near camps, including in “inSTALLments,” the information leaflets posted in the facility’s bathrooms. A prestigious message by CNBC told workers the vaccine was “safe and effective” and the “quickest way to get back to normal”.

The company also sent a questionnaire to warehouse workers through Amazon Connections, an internal survey system, to assess their attitudes towards the Covid vaccine and other coronavirus safety measures. A solicitation sent to employees read, “Covid vaccines and regular Covid tests can help keep you and those who are important to you safe.” Employees have the option to respond with “OK” or “I’d rather not respond” according to a separate document as seen by CNBC.

Amazon already sees considerable interest in the local vaccination clinics. More than 1,000 frontline workers have signed up to get vaccinated at Amazon’s first on-site clinic in a warehouse outside of St. Louis, Missouri, which opened Thursday.

– CNBC’s Bertha Coombs contributed to this article.