The Pentagon approves another 20 COVID-19 vaccination teams

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WASHINGTON – The Pentagon has approved the deployment of another 20 military vaccination teams, which will be ready to go to communities across the country, putting the department at a pace of 19,000 troops if the planned 100 teams are completed. The number of troops is almost double what the federal authorities initially thought would be needed.

Pentagon chief spokesman John Kirby said Friday that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s latest approval brings the number of COVID-19 vaccination teams authorized so far to 25, with a total of about 4,700 members of the service. He said the teams, which largely involve active forces, are approved in a step-by-step approach, based on the needs of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Lt. Col. Roy Loque, commander of the 17th Operational Medical Training Squadron, is preparing a COVID-19 vaccination at Mathis Fitness Center at Goodfellow Air Force, Texas, January 20, 2021. (Senior Airman Abbey Rieves / Air Force)

So far, only one of the first five teams approved last week has actually been announced and deployed. This 222-member team from Fort Carson, Colorado, has arrived in Los Angeles, where it will help with a federally administered vaccination site at California State University. The team is expected to start offering vaccines to the public on Tuesday, but will likely do some initial vaccinations, including team members, on Monday.

He added that the department expects to have more details about where the other four will take place soon.

The Biden administration said delivering the vaccine to Americans is a top priority, raising questions about why the launch of the teams did not move faster.

The Pentagon received its first initial request from FEMA in late January for 100 vaccination teams with a total of 10,000 soldiers. Kirby said so far only one team has been deployed, as it is a complicated process that requires coordination with local and state authorities to identify the right locations and determine the infrastructure and support needed. He said it takes time to set up each site correctly.

“We don’t want to move too fast to overwhelm the process or the system,” Kirby told Pentagon reporters.

Kathy Roth-Douquet, CEO of Blue Star Families, left and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, participates in a town hall. (screenshot via YouTube)

Officials said more vaccination sites would open across the country as more doses of the vaccine became available. The military deployment comes as the nation is in a race against a virus that generates mutations, which can make it spread more easily and cause more lethal diseases.

The 20 new teams will include 10 with 222 members and 10 smaller units with 139 employees.

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