COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution: Bolstering the Air Force Immunizations Model

From its emergence and declaration as a worldwide pandemic, coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has been associated with significant medical and logistical challenges. Initial obstacles ranged from the need to develop testing platforms to the determination of effective treatments to decrease the significant morbidity and mortality associated with the disease. Due to significant scientific breakthroughs, the most recent pressing challenge has been the distribution of vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 to prevent the spread of the infection across the world. Historically, the U.S. Military has been involved in immunizations delivery to prevent disease among its troops. This experience has led to the establishment of programs designed to distribute safe vaccinations to service members and beneficiaries. It is upon this infrastructure that the Air Force (AF) medical community was thrust to devise and execute COVID-19 vaccine delivery implementation across all military treatment facilities. In the AF, specialty trained allergist and immunologists provide the technical expertise for the establishment and execution of the AF immunizations program. These medical professionals have the proficiency, knowledge, and experience to run efficient mass immunization events in order to provide vaccines in a safe and rapid environment. Despite this, significant challenges attributable to the variable and novel nature of COVID-19 vaccine logistical requirements have led to unanswered questions and debate that needed resolution before and during the launch of this program. Here we describe the process for establishing a mass vaccination program for COVID-19 vaccine delivery and our experience-based problem solving approach at a large AF military treatment facility.