VA releases COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan, vaccinations began this week

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today publication of its dynamic VA COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Plan, being executed at 37 sites across the country.

VA began vaccinating Veterans and frontline employees this week, following the Food and Drug Administration’s Dec. 11 decision to issue an Emergency Use Authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine.

The distribution plan addresses vaccinations for Veterans, staff and other federal partners including a prioritization framework for identifying the population(s) at highest risk to receive the vaccine. The plan will be updated over the next two weeks to reflect final recommendations and specifications from FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on COVID-19 vaccines authorized through FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization process — and will continue be updated as FDA approves new vaccines.

“VA employees have provided life-saving COVID-19 care to thousands upon thousands of people, and the department continues to play a crucial role in the nation’s response to the pandemic,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “Dedicated professionals across many fields contributed to this plan, which will ensure a safe, evidence-based and equity-focused vaccine rollout for VA frontline workers and Veterans.”

The plan covers vaccine distribution in the United States, Puerto Rico, and U.S. territories where VA provides health care to Veterans, as well as vaccine safety monitoring and vaccine reporting as required by the CDC and Operation Warp Speed.

Veterans seeking additional information should visit the VA Coronavirus Vaccine FAQs webpage, contact their care team or visit their facility website.