PORTSMOUTH, Va. - The Department of Defense announced Wednesday their plan to administer and distribute the COVID-19 vaccine.
The department says they have worked closely with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the distribution of the vaccines.
The DOD plans to receive under 44,000 dosages of the COVID-19 vaccine and will distribute to those prioritized by DOD personnel based on CDC guidance.
DOD will prioritizes those providing direct medical care, maintaining essential national security and installation functions, deploying forces, and those beneficiaries at the highest risk for developing severe illness from COVID-19 before other members of the DOD population.
Distribution of the vaccine will be conducted in phases.
Due to limited availability of initial vaccine doses, the first phase will distribute and administer vaccines at select locations.
Initial distribution sites were selected to best support the following criteria:
- Anticipated supply chain requirements for initially approved vaccines (i.e. ultra-cold, bulk storage facility);
- Local population of at least 1,000 priority personnel across the military services to facilitate rapid vaccine administration;
- Sufficient necessary medical personnel to administer vaccines and actively monitor vaccine recipients after initial and second-dose administration
Initial vaccination sites in the continental United States are:
- Darnall Army Medical Center, Fort Hood, TX
- Willford Hall, Joint Base San Antonio, TX
- Madigan Army Medical Center, Joint Base Lewis McChord, WA
- Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg, NC
- Navy Branch Health Clinic, Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, FL
- Base Alameda Health Services (clinic), U.S. Coast Guard Base, Alameda, CA
- Naval Medical Center, San Diego, CA
- Naval Hospital, Camp Pendleton, CA (distribution from San Diego)
- Naval Hospital Pensacola, Pensacola, FL
- Armed Forces Retirement Home, Gulfport MS (Keesler AFB will administer) (distribution from Pensacola)
- Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD
- Armed Forces Retirement Home, Washington, DC (distribution from Walter Reed)
- Portsmouth Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, VA
- U.S. Coast Guard Base Clinic, Portsmouth, VA (distribution from Portsmouth Naval Medical Center)
- Indiana National Guard, Franklin, IN
- New York National Guard Medical Command, Watervliet, NY
Initial vaccination sites outside of the continental United States are:
- Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, HI
- Allgood Army Community Hospital, Camp Humphreys, Korea
- Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany
- Kadena Medical Facility, Kadena AB, Japan
Distribution will begin once the Federal Drug Administration authorizes the COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use.
