A Maryland Gov. spokeswoman Larry Hogan refuted Amazon’s claim that it was providing assistance with the distribution of vaccines to all 50 states, saying Maryland was ‘not aware’ of an offer from Amazon to provide that kind of assistance.
The remark comes after Amazon said on Thursday that it had told the Trump administration about the help of logistics to palm vaccinations into Americans’ arms, but that Trump had told the administration to reach out to states instead. Amazon sent a letter to the Biden government this week offering their help with the distribution of vaccines.
“We do not know of any letter, but Amazon contacted us this week about vaccinating their frontline employees in Maryland,” Mike Ricci, Hogan’s communications director, told Fox News when asked if the governor received an offer from Amazon has. to help get Marylanders vaccinated.
Ricci added that ‘[w]e are not aware of such a letter, “of Amazon assisting with Maryland’s vaccination efforts.
President Joe Biden talks about the coronavirus in the White House State Dining Room on Thursday, January 21, 2021 in Washington. Amazon has offered the new administration aid to distribute coronavirus vaccines. (AP Photo / Alex Brandon)
AMAZON COLORED PROMOTES IT NEVER OFFERED TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CORONAVIRUS VACCINE DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANCE
The comments cast doubt on Amazon’s statement Thursday that it offered assistance to “all governors”.
“We met with Trump’s Operation Warp Speed to help with the vaccine logistics and we were redirected to the states. We then wrote to all governors who offered to distribute the vaccine,” an Amazon spokesman told Fox News said.
Amazon spokesman continues: ‘[T]During 2020, we had extensive collaboration with the Trump administration to respond to Covid-19: we worked with the State Department to collect personal protective equipment in China when U.S. doctors had nothing; we’ve built new tools for researchers and public health authorities, we have the US government on testing and more … To suggest that we waited for political reasons to offer help is simply wrong. ‘
Fox News received the letter that Amazon sent to Hogan on December 21, 2020, but the letter addressed the vaccination of Amazon employees rather than helping with the broader Maryland vaccination plan.
“Amazon is ready to assist you in ensuring that our essential workers who are unable to work from home receive the COVID-19 vaccine at the earliest appropriate time,” the letter reads.
It continued: ‘We are proud of the role our vital workers played during this pandemic in helping customers stay safe and receive important products at home, which are critical for people with underlying medical conditions and those at risk. is for complications of COVID-19. In Maryland, Amazon and the Whole Foods Market, there are more than 25,000 essential workers who work full-time and part-time, who cannot work at home … ‘
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will go on Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Wednesday, January 20, 2021. Amazon did have communications with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Trump with other administrative officials about vaccine distribution , Fox News is told, but sources said no letter or formal offer was made. (AP Photo / Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Hogan’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News when asked to explain when it received a letter from Amazon asking for help vaccinating employees.
Meanwhile, Amazon’s letter to the Biden government entitled “Amazon congratulates President Biden and Vice President Harris; supports the vaccination of Americans.” It states that “we are prepared to leverage our operations, information technology and communication capabilities and expertise to assist your administration’s vaccination efforts. Our scale enables us to make a significant impact immediately in the fight against COVID-19, and we is ready to assist you in this endeavor. “
However, a similar rule was not included in the letter Amazon wrote to Hogan.
After news broke that Amazon had offered assistance to the new Biden administration, several Trump administration officials told Fox News that Amazon had never offered the Trump administration with vaccine distribution.
WHY DID AMAZON WAIT UNTIL THE RENTAL OFFER TO PROVIDE LICENSE DISTRIBUTION SUPPORT?
Fox News did communicate with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other administrative officials, but sources said no letter or formal offer had been made.
Meanwhile, former Warp Speed Operation officials told Fox News that an offer from Amazon would not necessarily apply because the Trump administration did not conduct a federal vaccination, but rather left the distribution to the states. has.
In addition to Maryland, Fox News has reached out to North Carolina, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Georgia, Michigan, California and Ohio on whether Amazon offered its vaccine assistance.
The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) told Fox News that he had received a copy of the letter that Amazon sent to President Biden this week, but did not address whether it was an offer from Amazon received during the Trump administration.
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“ODH received a copy of a letter Amazon sent to President Biden this week,” he said. “ODH staff are following up to see what help they can possibly offer when it comes to vaccine distribution. At the moment, we have no other details.”
Vaccinations will be one of the biggest challenges for the Biden government, with the pressure already coming on the government to increase the target of 100 million jabs in the first 100 days.
Biden asked during a public appearance Thursday night whether he would do so, given the current route of vaccines in the US
“When I announced it, you all said it’s not possible,” Biden said. “Come, give me a breather.”
Fox News’ Griff Jenkins, John Roberts, Gillian Turner, Susan Li, Edward Lawrence and Yael Halonc contributed to this report.