ARNORTH to oversee military vaccination support to FEMA in Michigan

By Col. Martin O'DonnellMarch 15, 2021

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, approximately 220 Department of Defense military medical and support personnel will deploy to Michigan to support a state-run, federally supported Community Vaccination Center. U.S. Army North, the Joint Force Land Component Command of U.S. Northern Command, will oversee the multi-service military COVID-19 response operation in support of state and the federal vaccination pilot.

“Our joint force continues to support FEMA and the acceleration of federal vaccination efforts in order to get all Americans vaccinated as soon as possible,” said Lt. Gen. Laura J. Richardson, ARNORTH and JFLCC commander. “Once open, this site in Michigan will have the ability to administer 6,000 vaccines a day.”

The 222-person, Type 1 Team from the U.S. Air Force, arriving March 19, will support the CVC at Ford Field in Detroit.

According to FEMA, a Type 1 Team is capable of administering up to 6,000 vaccinations a day. For more information regarding these teams and CVCs, please refer to the FEMA Community Vaccination Centers playbook at: https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_community-vaccination-centers_playbook_03-12-2021.pdf.

These military medical and support personnel join approximately 2,700 others from the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force already supporting the federal vaccination effort in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

To date, these military personnel have administered approximately 700,000 vaccines.

For additional information, contact the ARNORTH and JFLCC public affairs office at 210-428-9835 or usarmy.jbsa.arnorth.mbx.pao@mail.mil; for photos and/or videos, visit: https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/FedVaxResp.