Feb 12, 2021 - Health

Pentagon approves 20 more military coronavirus vaccination teams

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Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby — Pentagon spokesman John Kirby. Photo: Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The Pentagon has approved the deployment of 20 additional COVID-19 vaccination teams to aid inoculation efforts across the U.S., spokesperson John Kirby said Friday.

The big picture: The authorization brings the number of approved vaccination teams to 25, with a total of about 4,700 service members, Kirby told reporters.

Only one team of 222 service members has deployed so far. Those troops, which begin work on Monday, will help a federally run vaccination site at California State University.
The Pentagon will soon have more details on when and where the four other previously approved teams will be deployed, Kirby said.
The vaccination teams "are being organized to help FEMA-identified sites and will be deployed as requirements evolve," he added.

Worth noting: FEMA's full request was for 10,000 troops to be deployed to 100 vaccination sites.

“I want to stress the very deliberate and phased approach we’re taking — working in lockstep with FEMA and other federal authorities … What we’re trying to do is to be ready when we’re needed.," Kirby said.

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Pentagon approves 20 more military coronavirus vaccination teams

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