More Companies Paying For COVID Vaccines: JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, BOA, And More

The list of companies encouraging their employees to get the COVID vaccine by offering incentives keeps on growing.

The latest to offer pay for vaccines is the banking industry, with Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and Bank of America all saying that they will pay their workers to get inoculated with the COVID vaccine.

According to an internal memo obtained by Bloomberg, Wells Fargo will pay employees up to eight hours of paid time off to receive the vaccine while also offering free coronavirus testing at 25 of its locations free of charge.

Those employees that do not work at one of the locations offering free COVID tests can request an at-home coronavirus test.

Head of Human Resources, David Galloreese, said in the memo to employees, according to Bloomberg, “While we understand that choosing to be vaccinated is a personal decision, we encourage you to consider getting the vaccine when it’s available to you. We encourage you to be educated about Covid-19 vaccines so that you can make an informed decision.”

JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America will also pay their employees up to eight hours of time off to accommodate a COVID vaccine appointment, Fox News reported.

Citigroup is offering an even bigger incentive to inoculated employees, saying it will provide “whatever paid time away from work is reasonably necessary to travel to and get the vaccine,” Bloomberg said.

The banking companies join a growing list of businesses that have announced that they will pay their employees to get the COVID vaccine. Some companies offering incentives to workers for vaccinations, which range from paid time off to free rides to appointments, include Aldi’s, Amtrak, AutoZone, Best Buy, Chobani, Darden Restaurants, Dollar General, Instacart, Kroger, Lidl, Marriott, McDonald’s, Publix, Starbucks, and Target, Trader Joe's, and Tyson Foods, Fox News said.

To date, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has administered one or more doses of the COVID vaccine to over 54 million people. Over 27.7 million people have received two doses of either the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

The one-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine was rolled out this week.