The Pentagon will deploy troops to help vaccinate Americans against COVID-19, the White House said Friday.
Senior coronavirus adviser Andy Slavitt announced that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has approved a request for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It means that about 1,000 active-duty military personnel will be deployed to help state vaccination centers.
President Joe Biden has called for the creation of 100 mass vaccination centers across the country in a month. Two open in California and Slavitt said military personnel will arrive at the centers in just over a week.
The Pentagon has scheduled an information session later Friday to provide more information on the military role.
Slavitt said military support will play a key role in supporting vaccination sites, helping to manage thousands of shots a day.
Currently, approximately 6.9 million Americans have received the full two-dose regimen needed for maximum protection from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. This translates into approximately 2% of the American population.
To achieve widespread immunity or “herd”: between 70% and 85% of Americans must be vaccinated. The United States is in a race against the virus, which is also generating mutations that can be resistant to vaccines.
© Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.