SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — The U.S. Department of Defense announced Wednesday its phased plan to distribute and administer the COVID-19 vaccine from the Naval Medical Center in San Diego and the Naval Hospital in Camp Pendleton.
The DOD is working with the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.
Sixteen DOD sites will be receiving a shipment of the Pfizer vaccine as soon as its approved, including Naval Medical Center San Diego and Camp Pendleton.
A DOD spokesperson clarified that the vaccine will be shipped to Naval Medical center San Diego and subsequently to Camp Pendleton. Naval Medical Center, San Diego, CA is the primary location. Since Naval Hospital, Camp Pendleton, CA is nearby (~50 miles away), the vaccines for Naval Hospital, Camp Pendleton will be distributed from Naval Medical Center, San Diego.
As one of the 64 jurisdictions to which the United States government has allocated vaccines, the DOD plans to administer its initial allocation of 43,875 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to populations of uniformed service members -- both actives and reserves. That includes members of the National Guard, dependents, retirees, civilian employees and select contract personnel.
"At this time, DOD is expected to receive just under 44,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine as early as next week for immediate use," Thomas McCaffery, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, said.
Those initial doses will be available at 16 department of defense sites - 13 here in the United States, and three overseas.
Locations were chosen based on certain criteria including:
- the ability to store the vaccine in an ultra-cold bulk storage facility
- a local population of at least 1,000 priority personnel
- Sufficient medical personnel to administer vaccines and actively monitor vaccine recipients.
"Once that committee issues its final recommendation for our 16 sites, we are comfortable, we are confident within 24-48 hours from that advisory committee decision we will actually have shots in arms," McCaffery said.
The department is prioritizing DOD personnel to receive the vaccine based on CDC guidance, first focusing on 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.
“Our deliberate and phased approach to distribute and administer this first allotment in future allocations of the COVID-19 vaccine will focus on vaccinating priority populations, quickly and safely while simultaneously refining the intricate planning for the delivery of larger volumes of vaccine in future waves,” McCaffery said,
Only about nine percent of DOD's healthcare population will be able to get the first shot of the vaccine during this pilot program. While not a requirement, it's recommended.
"We're recommending that everyone take the vaccine when it becomes available to protect yourselves, your families, your ship mates, wingmen, battle buddies and communities,” he said.
Distribution will be conducted in phases. Due to limited availability of initial vaccine doses, the first phase will distribute and administer vaccines at select locations. The vaccine is given in two doses 21 days apart.
The distribution of the allocated COVID-19 vaccines will begin once the Federal Drug Administration authorizes the COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use and in accordance with Operation Warp Speed guidance.
Other distribution sites in the continental United States include Fort Hood, Texas, Joint Base Lewis McChord, Washington, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.