Pentagon Sending Troops To Help Staff Vaccination Super Sites In Los Angeles, Oakland
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The vaccination drive in California is getting a boost from the Pentagon, which announced Friday it would deploy 1,000 troops to two of California's super sites.
The Department of Defense approved the deployment of 1,000 active-duty troops to assist in the distribution of COVID-19 shots across the country, and some of those troops are expected to arrive in California as early as next week.
The troops are being sent to two FEMA-run vaccination super sites – one at Cal State Los Angeles and one at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum in Northern California.
FEMA, however, has asked for as many as 10,000 service members to staff 100 centers across the country. This first deployment will be part of five teams, and others will be approved in separate tranches as FEMA sets up other vaccination super site locations.
In just over a month, only about 2% of Americans have been vaccinated against COVID-19, and the rollout has been hampered by dwindling supplies and a shortage of medically-trained personnel. However, Johnson & Johnson announced on Wednesday it is seeking emergency use authorization from the FDA for its one-shot vaccine, which may add more vaccines to the national supply.
