WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden’s administration announced on Friday that the Pentagon had approved the sending of 1,100 active duty soldiers to assist with the COVID-19 vaccination efforts in the United States, a number that is likely to increase in the coming weeks and months.
The pandemic killed more than 447,000 Americans and took millions out of work.
Andy Slavitt, senior consultant on the White House COVID-19 response team, said in a statement that part of the group would begin arriving in California within the next 10 days.
The Pentagon said that 1,110 soldiers would be divided into five teams, each with vaccinators, nurses and clinical staff.
The deployment is likely to be only the first installment of US military assisting in administering vaccines across the country.
White House chief of staff Ron Klain said last week that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was working with the Pentagon to use 10,000 soldiers and open 100 centers across the country to increase vaccine availability.
Using the military to fight the coronavirus is not new. At its peak under former President Donald Trump, more than 47,000 National Guard soldiers were supporting COVID-19 operations and some 20,000 continue to help.
The Army Corps of Engineers has also built thousands of rooms across the country to help hospitals with the strain caused by the spread of the coronavirus.
By Idrees Ali