For months after the first COVID-19 vaccines became available in December, people were willing to wait in line, obsessively refresh booking websites and drive long distances for the shots.
That’s changing. Now, companies are starting to
Cigna announced on Thursday that it will give workers who are fully vaccinated $200 in payments to their health-spending accounts, as well as emergency paid time off they can use to get their shots. Rival health insurer Anthem earlier this month said it would offer staff who get vaccinated a one-time credit toward health premiums.
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Together, the moves are the latest indication that Americans who are eager to get inoculated against COVID-19 for the most part already have. More than 215 million doses have been administered, according to the
President Joe Biden on Wednesday promoted a
The coronavirus vaccines currently being used in the U.S., from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, carry the risk of short-term side effects such as fever or fatigue. U.S. authorities have paused use of a third vaccine from Johnson & Johnson while they investigate rare instances of more serious blood clots.
Not having paid time off to get vaccinated or recover from potential side effects may deter some workers, especially people living check-to-check. In the first days of the vaccination campaign, hospitals staggered inoculations for their workers to avoid the risk of sidelining entire departments with side effects at the same time.
Roughly
Most large companies are stopping shy of
Apple and several large banks have offered paid time off for vaccinations. Workers at Target can get four hours’ pay and transportation credit, and Kroger offers a $100 payment.
Amazon.com offers front-line employees as much as $80 to be immunized. Walmart provides shots at its stores and gives associates two hours of paid time off to get theirs.