Skip main navigation

Military Health System

Clear Your Browser Cache

This website has recently undergone changes. Users finding unexpected concerns may care to clear their browser's cache to ensure a seamless experience.

Military Health System Marks 1-Year Anniversary for COVID Vaccinations

Image of Military Health System Marks 1-Year Anniversary for COVID Vaccinations . Military Health System Marks 1-Year Anniversary for COVID Vaccinations

One year ago today, on Dec. 14, 2020, the Military Health System began administering the first COVID-19 vaccine shots.

A year later, the MHS has distributed more than 6.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine and reports 90.1% of active duty service members are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with an additional 6.4% partially vaccinated.

“The DOD is committed to vaccinating 100% of all active duty service members to ensure maximized readiness to meet the warfighter needs,” said Air Force Col. Jennifer Garrison, deputy assistant director, Operational Medicine, Defense Health Agency (DHA).

Initial vaccinations in late 2020 targeted frontline health care workers who were most at risk of exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19.

Looking Back

On Dec. 9, 2020, DOD announced its COVID-19  vaccination plan.

Immediately after the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine on Dec. 11, 2020, the Defense Department mobilized to distribute approximately 44,000 initial doses to 13 military communities.

Among the first medical treatment facilities to receive shipments were Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland; Naval Medical Center San Diego, California; and the Air Force's 59th Medical Wing in San Antonio, Texas.

Those first vaccinations marked the start of a phased and coordinated plan to prioritize, distribute, and administer COVID-19 vaccines to 11.3 million DOD-eligible personnel and beneficiaries.

Military health officials later added Moderna’s two-dose COVID-19 vaccine and the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen single-dose shot to the distribution list as they received FDA emergency use authorization.

By Feb. 22, 2021, the DOD had administered 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines. A month later, the total grew to 2 million doses.

The Rollout Plan

To facilitate the rollout, 17 DHA Immunization Health Division (IHD) specialists stationed throughout the MHS helped military vaccine sites to become experts in COVID-19 vaccination procedures.

“The early days of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout required tremendous time and hard work. But all of us were deeply committed to getting this right,” DHA IHD specialist David Cortez said.

“Maintaining vaccine confidence in anxious patients compels us to handle and manage these vaccines absolutely correctly,” Cortez said.

Dr. Margaret Ryan, medical director for IHD in the Pacific Region, recalled that the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in December 2020 was an intense and critical time in the pandemic. “No one in DHA IHD had a ‘holiday’ last year – but all of us celebrated in the midst of the hard work we were doing,” she said.

Later, in August 2021, as the COVID-19 Delta variant became dominant in the U.S, COVID-19 cases surged. Defense Secretary Austin issued a mandate on Aug. 24, 2021, requiring all members of the Armed Forces under DOD authority on active duty or in the Ready Reserve, including the National Guard, to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

Keep up with the latest news about the ongoing MHS response to COVID-19 at Health.mil/coronavirus.

You also may be interested in...

Publication
Apr 7, 2020

Decision Memorandum on TRICARE Implementation of the "Families First Coronavirus Response Act"

.PDF | 1.06 MB

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act, Public Law 116-127, Division F, Section 6006(a), limits TRICARE authority to impose copayment or other cost-sharing for novel coronavirus (COVID-19) testing and related provider visits that result in orders for or administration of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved, cleared, or authorized ...

Publication
Apr 5, 2020

DoD Guidance on the Use of Cloth Face Coverings

.PDF | 1.02 MB

Effective immediately, to the extent practical, all individuals on DoD property, installations, and facilities will wear cloth face coverings when they cannot maintain six feet of social distance in public areas or work centers (this does not include in a Service member's or Service family member's personal residence on a military installation).

Publication
Apr 2, 2020

Transition of Military Medical Treatment Facilities from Military Departments to the Defense Health Agency during the COVID-19 Response

.PDF | 457.94 KB

The Department's MTF transition plan is conditions-based. While the transition of MTFs to DHA is continuing, the COVID-19 response requirements are impacting DHA's ability to meet all required conditions. The need for the DHA and MILDEPs to refocus efforts away from the transition to support the COVID-19 response led to questions regarding the future ...

Publication
Mar 19, 2020

COVID-19 Life Support Training Extension

.PDF | 361.65 KB

The purpose of this memorandum is to set policy guidance within the Military Health System for American Red Cross life support training (First Aid/cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)/automated external defibrillator (AED), Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Life Support (ALS), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)).

Publication
Feb 25, 2020

Force Health Protection (Supplement 2) - Department of Defense Guidance for Military Installation Commanders' Risk-Based Measured Responses to the Novel Coronavirus Outbreak

.PDF | 2.06 MB

Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to spread and is an increasing force health protection (FHP) threat in areas where Department of Defense (DoD) personnel live and work. As the leading U.S. Government public health agency, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to assess the risk of COVID-19 and provide ...

Skip subpage navigation
Refine your search
Last Updated: May 04, 2023
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery