The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released recommended tiers of who should be given access to the vaccines first. Health-care workers and residents and employees of long-term care facilities make up the first tier, meaning they could be getting vaccinations in the next few weeks. The CDC has recommended that essential workers be in the second tier, and this is where Uber’s request comes in.
The CDC has left it up to the states to draft specific vaccination rollout plans, meaning, among other things, that each state will get to decide who classifies as essential workers. In its letter, Uber argues that its drivers are essential because they transport other essential workers and make deliveries to people isolating at home. Uber also said that vaccinating its drivers early would help “remove transportation barriers faced by individuals who will need to travel to their vaccination appointments.”
