President Joe Biden has called for setting up 100 mass vaccination centers around the country within a month. Two are opening in California, and Slavitt said military personnel will arrive at those centers in a little over a week.
COVID-19 Vaccine Pentagon has scheduled a news briefing later Friday to provide more information about the military role.
Slavitt said support from the military will play a critical role in supporting vaccination sites, helping administer thousands of shots a day.
Currently, about 6.9 million Americans have received the full two-dose regimen required to get maximum protection from the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. That translates to about 2% of the U.S. population.
To reach widespread or “herd” immunity — about 70% to 85% of Americans must be vaccinated. The U.S. is in a race with the virus, which is also spawning mutations that may prove resistant to vaccines.
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