WASHINGTON — The U.S. government has launched a mass COVID-19 vaccination site for arriving Afghans near Dulles International Airport, where thousands fleeing the Taliban are now arriving daily.
A senior administration official says the site was set up by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and already has begun administering vaccinations.
The Associated Press reports that the evacuees are being administered single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccines. The evacuees are also tested upon arrival in the U.S. and quarantined if they test positive.
The official was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The site's opening comes after the White House said earlier this week that it was working to provide medically eligible evacuees with the shots.
A second mass vaccination site is expected to be launched in the coming days for evacuees who will be arriving at the Philadelphia International Airport.
The World Health Organization reports that as of Aug. 20, just 1.2 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine had been administered to the 40 million people in Afghanistan.