The first COVID-19 vaccination sites operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency could be running by mid-February, a senior White House official told CBS News Jan. 30.
Officials said the agency plans to operate up to 50 "mega" vaccination sites that would have capacity to administer 6,000 vaccines per day, as well as 50 "large" sites with capacity to administer 3,000 shots per day. Across all FEMA-run sites, the goal is to provide 450,000 vaccinations per day, CBS reports. Most sites would be new, though the agency also plans to provide support to existing state-run vaccination centers, according to the White House official who spoke to CBS.
Shots provided at federally run vaccination sites would come from an area's allotted vaccine supply rather than a new federal allocation stream, according to earlier reports on a draft form of FEMA's plan.
California, Virginia, Michigan, Delaware and New Mexico are among the states that have requested federally supported sites.
Under FEMA's "Prepare to Deploy Order," the agency asked the Department of Defense to approve the deployment of as many as 10,000 troops. The plan has not yet been approved.
Responses to the plan varied across states, with some state agencies telling CBS vaccine supply is the greatest area of concern.
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