WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden’s government announced Friday that the Pentagon has approved the deployment of 1,100 troops for active duty to help with COVID-19 vaccination efforts in the United States, which are likely to increase in the coming weeks and months.
The pandemic killed more than 447,000 Americans and left millions unemployed.
Andy Slavitt, senior adviser to the White House COVID-19 Response Team, said in a briefing that part of the group would begin arriving in California within the next ten days.
The Pentagon said the 1,110 troops would be divided into five teams, each with inmates, nurses and clinical staff.
The deployment is likely to be just the first batch of U.S. military personnel to assist in the administration of vaccinations 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 troops and open 100 centers across the country to increase the availability of vaccinations.
The use of the military to fight the coronavirus is not new. At its peak under former President Donald Trump, more than 47,000 National Guard troops supported COVID-19 operations and about 20,000 still help.
The Army Corps of Engineers has also built thousands of rooms across the country to help hospitals with the stress caused by the spread of the coronavirus.
By Idrees Ali