The United States government will deploy about 1,000 soldiers to support the COVID-19 vaccination campaign across the country.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has approved a petition from the US Federal Emergency Management Agency to boost vaccination efforts with active US forces, as reported by Andy Slavitt, White House Senior Adviser on COVID-19.
According to the Pentagon, 1,110 soldiers are expected to form five teams that will be set up at five vaccination centers across the country. As reported by the CNN television network, which cites Defense sources, the troops will have to be ready within 96 hours.
Slavitt has noted that the military will play a “critical role” in vaccination facilities and, he said, “will ensure that all Americans who want a vaccine get it.”
On Friday, the United States administered about 35.2 million doses of the vaccine, with 6.9 million people also receiving the second dose, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, for the acronym in English).
The United States, the country hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic in the world, has so far been responsible for more than 26.7 million people infected, including about 457,000 deaths from the disease.