Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
Some large employers are receiving permission from public health officials to vaccinate their employees at work, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Why it matters: This could remove barriers to getting the vaccine for some workers in high-risk industries. But it also increases the competition for shots while they're still scarce.
Details: Pharmaceutical companies, meatpackers and airlines are among the employers that have received the go-ahead to administer vaccines.
- These employer-run vaccination sites rely on state and local public health authorities to allocate them doses, and employers usually have to register with public-health programs.
Between the lines: Workplace vaccination could help target shots to the most at-risk workers. It also gets rid of transit and time-off issues for employees.
- But not all companies will apply for doses, or receive permission to administer them, setting up potential inequities.
What they're saying: "Employers have found this is the best way to get your population back to work as safely as possible," Tobias Barker, chief medical officer at Everside Health — which helps employers with vaccination events and record-keeping — told WSJ.