The U.S. Department of Defense and Health and Human Services have partnered to make sure that patients in long-term care facilities are first in line for a COVID-19 vaccine.
"This relationship is principally about getting vaccines quickly and effectively into all of our nursing homes and assisted living facilities and senior care locations," Paul Mango, deputy chief of staff for policy at HHS, told the DOD on its website.
Walgreens and CVS will help by visiting each location to give the vaccinations free to residents and staff. The project is part of Operation Warp Speed, which has the goal of inoculating as many people as possible as quickly as possible once the vaccine becomes available. "Within 24 to 48 hours of the time an [emergency use authorization] is authorized, we expect to be putting needles in people's arms," Mango said.
In other news the CDC said the COVID-19 vaccines may not be immediately recommended for children, for two reasons: one, since they rarely have severe infections; and two, because no vaccine trials have been done with children yet.