FEMA deploys or supports vaccination sites in 11 states

The Federal Emergency Management Agency deploys or supports vaccination sites in at least 11 states after President Joe Biden ordered the government to step up to war in its mission to immunize 300 million Americans from here the end of summer.

The states are Arizona, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, according to a FEMA official. A site is also being created in the US Virgin Islands, the official said.

Four of those states, Arizona, Nevada, Texas and Washington, had nine federally-backed vaccination sites in operation since Wednesday, the agency said in a statement. FEMA staff were being deployed to several other states, the agency said.

“Additional personnel across the country are providing virtual support, while the US National Guard Office provides personnel, administrative and logistical support to vaccination sites in 22 states,” he said.

The agency, which budgeted $ 1.2 billion for its Covid-19 mission, said it would reimburse states that deploy their National Guard troops to help at vaccination sites.

Federal aid will also go to state pop-up and mobile vaccination clinics, FEMA said.

Johnson & Johnson on Friday said its own Covid-19 vaccine, which would be a third vaccine in the U.S. arsenal against the virus, could be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization as early as this week. next.

Last week, Biden ordered FEMA to start setting up vaccination sites.

The president on Monday set a target of 150 million vaccinations during his first 100 days in office. He recognized that in order to do this he will have to command a massive federal effort on the ground.

“It will be a logistical challenge that is beyond anything we have ever tried in this country, but I think we can do it,” he said.