National Guard Now Helping with COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution in 26 States
Ohio Air National Guard Senior Master Sgt. Gregory Sprowls explains the process of receiving and repacking COVID-19 vaccines. (Photo courtesy of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine s office)
14 Dec 2020
In Ohio and West Virginia, National Guard members broke down the first shipments of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine into smaller packages for transportation to vaccination sites.
In Oklahoma, Guard members, accompanied by state Highway Patrol escorts, drove the vaccine to points where it could be administered to the first recipients.
The National Guard provided assistance Monday for the historic first U.S. COVID-19 vaccinations in a total of 26 states, at the direction of their governors, Guard officials said.
something has to be done. reporter: the guard is normally used after disasters, like hurricane katrina or the flooding in colorado. it s up to each state s governor to mobilize the guard. in 1970, the ohio guard was sent to kent state university during vietnam war protests. and in 1992, the california guard was used to help restore order during the los angeles riots. while sending in the guard to help police in chicago is technically possible, governor pat quinn tells cnn it s, quote, not an option. and chicago police say they don t need the help. chicago police superintendent gary mccarthy says he needs tougher gun laws and harsher penalties for those who break them. an example, he says, is last week s shooting where one of the gunman was not sent to prison after being caught with an illegal weapon last year. if the state wants to give us