An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : Media : News : News Article View
NEWS | Jan. 13, 2021

Officials Discuss COVID-19 Vaccine Deliveries and Prioritization Criteria

DAVID VERGUN, DOD NEWS

WASHINGTON -- There's been significant progress in getting the COVID-19 vaccines out to the states, said Army Gen. Gustave F. Perna, the chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed.

Thus far, 25 million doses of the Moderna and the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech vaccines have been sent to 16,000 locations throughout the United States, he said.

Perna; Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Dr. Moncef Slaoui, chief advisor to OWS; and, Alex M. Azar II, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, briefed the news media today on OWS.

Spotlight: Operation Warp Speed
"The cadence of allocations, the cadence of orders, the cadence of picking and packing, the cadence of what's being shipped, has really become a remarkable feat for all of us, and the whole of America to be proud of," Perna said. "The result will be a safe and effective vaccine delivered to the American people."

OWS, in collaboration with pharmacies Walgreens and CVS have made significant progress in getting vaccines out to many of the 70,000 skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, he said.

In less than a month, 11,000 of those facilities have received the first dose of vaccines, he said, and 12,000 more are scheduled this week, with similar numbers for the weeks following.

Perna acknowledged the hard work of Moderna, Pfizer, distributor McKesson Corp., United Parcel Service, Inc. and FedEx Corp., who he said are working 24 hours a day, seven days a week to deliver the vaccine in a timely manner.

Azar said that "we've seen substantial rises in American's confidence in these vaccines and interest in taking them."

Over the last several days, OWS has averaged around 700,000 reported vaccinations each day and OWS is on track to reach 1 million per day within about 10 days or less, he said. A total of 9 million first vaccinations have already been given.

By the end of next week, 95% of long-term care facilities will have had first dose vaccines administered, Azar added.

Azar said he's telling states to allow people 65 and older to now receive the vaccine, as well as those who are younger and who have a comorbidity with medical documentation.

"We're expanding the groups getting vaccinated because state restrictions on eligibility have obstructed speed and accessibility of administration," he explained.

"There was never a reason states needed to complete vaccinating all healthcare providers before opening vaccinations to older Americans and other vulnerable populations," he added.
CONNECT WITH USINDOPACOM
Facebook

Like Us
X
363,117
Follow Us

ENGAGE & CONNECT MORE WITH PACOM

                                                 

IN THE USINDOPACOM NEWS
Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Call with Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr.
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 27, 2024 - Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout...

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia Lindsey Ford Concludes Visit to Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 27, 2024 - Department of Defense spokesperson Lt. Col. Martin Meiners provided the following readout...

DIU Partners With AUKUS Pillar II for International Prize Challenge
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 26, 2024 - The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is launching the first trilateral prize challenge through AUKUS Pillar II— a defense and security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (U.S.)— to...

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Andrew Winternitz Concludes Trip to Japan for Pacific Islands Defense Dialogue
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 26, 2024 - Department of Defense spokesperson Lt. Col. Martin Meiners provided the following readout...

Marines, Sailors Participate in Holi Festival and Community Events at Tiger TRIUMPH
U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Maxwell Gallahan, center left, a platoon commander assigned to Weapons Company, Battalion Landing Team 1/5, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, participate in musical chairs at a community relations event during Exercise Tiger TRIUMPH in Visakhapatnam, India, March 22, 2024. Tiger TRIUMPH is a U.S.-India tri-service amphibious exercise focused on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief readiness and interoperability. Tiger TRIUMPH enables U.S. and Indian Armed Forces to improve interoperability and bilateral, joint, and service readiness in the Indian Ocean region and beyond to better achieve mutual regional security objectives. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by 1st Lt. Robert Nanna)
March 26, 2024 - Marines and Sailors of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit embraced India's culture during celebrations, athletic exchanges, and community relations engagements as they participate in Exercise Tiger TRIUMPH 2024...