Pentagon is close to agreeing to deliver about 450,000 Covid-19 vaccinations a day

The figure was included in a draft agreement between the two agencies that CNN is looking at, which also calls for the deployment of 10,000 troops at 100 vaccination centers in the United States that would begin at least February 26th.

Several officials stress that details are still being worked out and may change before final approval for the deployment is given by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

Since taking office, President Joe Biden has said his goal is to get as many as 1.5 million Americans vaccinated every day. The current average is 1.2 million per day since he entered service, so should the agreement be successfully implemented, it could exceed its target.

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The draft plan calls for an increasing build-up of forces that will quickly lead to 50 vaccination teams, each capable of delivering 6,000 shots per day, and another 50 teams capable of delivering 3,000 shots per day.

Vaccination at the 100 designated sites will last 16 hours a day with two shifts of eight hours. Once the agreement is finalized, the troops will be instructed to be ready to deploy within 96 hours.

The draft agreement also states that FEMA may issue additional orders to supplement the effort with more staff with Pentagon agreement.

Under the proposal, the Pentagon will also provide communication and command and control elements for planning and coordination between the sites. FEMA will be responsible for providing personal protective equipment, site security, traffic control and supplies and equipment to manage the sites.

Several officials tell CNN that a final agreement is expected soon, but it is not clear when that will happen.

This story is breaking and will be updated.

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