(Newser)
– 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, according to the AP. It means approximately 1,000 active-duty servicemen will be deployed to help state vaccination centers. President 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.
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 or “herd” immunity, 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.
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