Amazon and Walmart to rescue vaccination in the United States

With only 19 million doses administered, or less than half of the available stocks, the vaccination campaign in the United States is, according to Joe Biden, a "disastrous failure".

While the pandemic is at a high level in the country, Joe Biden has promised "100 million Americans vaccinated in the first 100 days of his presidency."

Barely installed in the White House, the new American president embarked on this challenge not won in advance.

His salvation may come from the helping hand offered by Amazon and the distribution giant Walmart to set up vaccination centers in supermarkets or to distribute vaccine doses.

From the first hours of his entry into the White House, Joe Biden adopted an ambitious plan to counter the epidemic, in particular with "an aggressive vaccination strategy".

The problem is that the pre-orders of serums ordered by Donald Trump are far from being made ...

Initially, as in Europe, he plans to extend the deadlines for the injection of the second dose.

More importantly, it could activate the Defense Production Act (DPA).

Created in 1950 during the Korean War and since extended to health needs, this legal framework allows the authorities to force manufacturers to follow the priorities of general interest.

This will give a boost to the production of vaccines but also of certain products in short supply such as syringes ...

Use of logistics and distribution champions

At the same time, because of their experience in logistics but also with their presence in the territory, Amazon and Walmart could have an important role to play in this vaccination campaign.

Amazon, through its hundred distribution centers, is able to deliver 72% of Americans in less than 24 hours and has its own planes.

For its part, Walmart has around 5,000 points of sale in the territory.

Walmart, which has started vaccinating healthcare professionals in New Mexico and Arkansas, will, according to Reuters, expand the initiative this week in Indiana, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina and Texas.

Vaccination is done in pharmacies located in supermarkets.

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"We are ready to assist your administration in its vaccination efforts, thanks to our skills and expertise in operations, information and communication technologies", for his part said Dave Clark, head of the branch. consumption of Amazon in a letter addressed to Joe Biden specifying that the group, of which nearly 20,000 employees have already contracted the virus, wishes to vaccinate its 800,000 employees in the United States.