The Department of Defense said Thursday that it has received a request from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for assistance with the administration of the coronavirus vaccine in the United States.
John Kirby, Pentagon’s press secretary, said the department is considering the request and what support it can provide.
A nurse is preparing a COVID-19 vaccine in Pittsboro, NC at Piedmont Health Senior Care, a federally qualified health center where patients with patients and underserved populations receive the coronavirus vaccine.
(AP)
“Given the importance of the request, it will be urgently but carefully reviewed to determine which DoD assets can be safely made available to support the effort,” Kirby said in a statement. “As Secretary (Lloyd) Austin said, DoD is committed to doing as much as possible to assist the government’s efforts against COVID-19.”
Kirby did not specify the number of troops that would be needed to carry out such an operation, but it is expected to be thousands.
Kirby told a news conference later Thursday that any of the aid would likely be a “mix of active duty from the National Guard and Reserve Force to help carry out various tasks related to the coronavirus, including getting more to get shots in the arms of people.
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The statement comes after President Joe Biden said Monday that he believes it is possible to administer 150 million doses of COVID vaccine during his first 100 days in office. He also said that by spring anyone who wants vaccination can do it.
“I think it will be this spring. I think we will be able to do it in the spring. But it is going to be a logistical challenge that surpasses anything we have ever tried in this country,” the president said. “But I think we can do it.”
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The next day, White House press secretary Jen Psaki appeared to be hurting the president’s optimism.
“What the president’s goal is to ensure that there is more availability in the spring,” Psaki said. “But the fact is,” she added, “not every American is going to be eligible this spring.”
Fox Blad’s Ronn Blitzer contributed to this report.