As many as 3,700 active-duty troops have been placed on standby to assist in administering COVID-19 vaccines at Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) sites in several locations, including Texas, New York, and the Virgin Islands, in a bid to administer millions of vaccines to the areas hardest hit by the pandemic.
U.S. Northern Command head Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck told reporters during a press briefing on Feb. 16 that by Feb. 24, about 778 troops will be deployed to begin running five COVID-19 vaccine sites in Houston, Dallas, and Arlington in Texas, and the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens in New York.