United Airlines will begin administering COVID-19 vaccines to eligible employees at O’Hare International Airport on Thursday.
Vaccines will be available by appointment at the airline’s health clinic in Terminal 2, according to a letter to employees from Omar Idris, vice president of Chicago-based United’s O’Hare hub.
Employees who live or work in Chicago and are at least 65 years old or are members of the flight crew are eligible and were expected to receive information on how to register as early as Tuesday evening, according to the letter.
United, which is working with the city of Chicago and Chicago Department of Public Health, will administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the health clinic it runs for employees with Premise Health. The city is supplying the vaccines on a weekly basis, so it isn’t clear how many doses the airline will receive in total.
While United CEO Scott Kirby has said he supports making the vaccine mandatory for employees if it can work out the logistics of making it available to all workers and if other companies follow suit, the airline said vaccinations remain voluntary.
“This is the most critical part of the recovery for our industry,” Idris said in the letter to employees. “Widespread vaccination — along with wearing a mask, social distancing, and hand washing — will help stop the spread of COVID-19 as we welcome more customers back in the coming months.”
