12 Ohio National Guard members on the front line of the state’s pandemic response began receiving the COVID-19 vaccination just before Christmas.
The U.S. Department of Defense is allocating doses of the vaccine to the Ohio National Guard as part of a pilot program for Soldiers and Airmen who are currently performing full-time National Guard duty under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, in support of the state’s COVID-19 response operations. About 500 Guard members who are assisting in missions at long-term care facilities, COVID-19 testing sites and food banks are expected to be vaccinated.
“We’ve been supporting our state since March in the fight against COVID-19. I’m incredibly proud of the work being done by our men and women,” said Maj. Gen. John C. Harris Jr., Ohio adjutant general. “Their health and safety is a top priority. The vaccine will help protect them, their families and their communities.”
Ohio National Guard soldiers in Cincinnati receive COVID-19 vaccine Capt. Christopher Warman of the Ohio Air National Guard’s 121st Air Refueling Wing draws up a dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Dec. 22, 2020, at the Defense Supply Center Columbus in Columbus, Ohio. The U.S. Department of Defense is allocating doses of the vaccine to the Ohio National Guard as part of a pilot program for Soldiers and Airmen who are currently performing full-time National Guard duty under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, in support of the state’s COVID-19 response operations. (Source: Ohio National Guard - Sgt. 1st Class Chad Menegay)