Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller joined medical staff at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) in Bethesda, Maryland on Monday to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, marking the DoD’s mass effort to fight to coronavirus pandemic.

“Our service members, DoD civilians, and their families have demonstrated remarkable endurance and sacrifice throughout the pandemic,” said Miller. “We know that our collective sacrifice would accelerate the path to a cure and save lives.”

Naval Medical Center San Diego in California and the Air Force’s 59th Medical Wing in San Antonio also received its first shipment with vaccinations starting on Tuesday.

DoD is shipping approximately 44,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine to sixteen installations around the United States this week.

According to the Military Health System, priority recipients of the vaccine will include, “health care providers and support personnel, residents and staff of DOD long-term care facilities, other essential workers such as emergency responders and security personnel, and high-risk beneficiaries.”

Photo by Lisa Ferdinando, DOD