WASHINGTON – Biden government officials said they would send 1,000 active duty soldiers to help with Covid-19 vaccinations later this month and use the Defense Production Act to increase supplies of vaccines, tests and protective equipment.
The military will begin arriving in California in the next 10 days and will assist in the state’s vaccination sites, said Covid-19 coordinator Jeffrey Zients. The Pentagon is still evaluating a broader FEMA request for up to 10,000 soldiers, a US military official said.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made the decision, which will involve Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps units and will include nurses and medical personnel who will administer the vaccines, the official said.
“The military’s critical role in supporting sites will help vaccinate thousands of people each day and ensure that all Americans who want a vaccine receive it,” said Zients.
The growing involvement of the Department of Defense is a change in strategy by the Trump administration, which left the states mainly to figure out how to get shot in the arms of their residents.
Earlier this week, the Biden government announced it would start opening the two federally administered and funded vaccination sites in California.
The Biden government also announced that it will use the Defense Production Act to obtain more equipment and supplies for Pfizer to increase production of its vaccine, make millions of Covid’s home tests available by the end of the summer and produce 1 billion surgical gloves per month in the USA until the end of the year.
