The Department of Defense (DOD) moved quickly to ensure a safe and effective rollout of the first COVID-19 vaccine, and began inoculating front line healthcare workers and first responders since initial allocations of the vaccine were delivered beginning Dec. 14, according to Defense Health Agency Director Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Ronald Place.
“Thirteen military communities in the United States received their vaccine doses on time and within 24 hours of receipt, we began administering the vaccine according to plan,” Place said.
Immediately after the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine Dec. 12, DOD mobilized to distribute approximately 44,000 initial doses to those first 13 communities. This was the first step of a phased and coordinated plan developed over months to prioritize, distribute, and ultimately begin to vaccinate DOD personnel.
“As the vaccine becomes more widely available in the coming weeks, we strongly encourage everyone to get vaccinated,” Place stressed. “The vaccine is safe, effective, and a critical addition to current public health measures. It helps us protect our health, our families, our communities, and significantly decrease the public health risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.”