The deployment of 1,110 active-duty military members to assist with the country's COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been approved by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, officials announced during a Feb. 5 pandemic news briefing.
The Pentagon will deploy five teams of military nurses and medical staff who will help administer COVID-19 vaccines. Each team will comprise 222 military members, and they should be able to provide about 6,000 shots a day, according to Andy Slavitt, a senior advisor to the White House's COVID-19 response team.
Two of the five teams will arrive in California, with operations beginning Feb. 15, Mr. Slavit told reporters. He also said announcements regarding troop deployments in additional states will come soon.
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