Ride-share companies Uber and Lyft are part of the latest effort to get the COVID-19 vaccine into the arms of more people, including homebound seniors.
Earlier this week President Joseph Biden announced a partnership with the two companies that will offer free rides to and from vaccination sites in an effort to get 70% of U.S. adults vaccinated by Independence Day. The program will launch May 24 and run through July 4.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a little more than one-third of U.S. adults have gotten the vaccine, while more than two-thirds of people 65 and older have been vaccinated.
Earlier this month, nonprofit Trust for America’s Health issued a report criticizing federal, state, and local governments for failing to partner with healthcare agencies and community groups to identify and vaccinate the homebound. The report said at least 2 million older adults are homebound but did not say how many had not yet been vaccinated. Harvard Medical School professor Christine Ritchie, M.D., told the Associated Press there could be another 5 million people who have trouble leaving their homes or need assistance getting vaccinated.