Coronavirus
COVID-19 vaccines available to Afghans at Fort McCoy
MADISON, Wis. (AP) Afghan refugees at Fort McCoy are being offered free COVID-19 vaccines one of many precautions being taken at the military base to prevent the spread of the virus.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says all Afghans and U.S. residents coming from Afghanistan are tested for COVID when they first arrive to the U.S. and have the option to get a COVID-19 vaccine either at the airport or at Department of Defense facilities.
Fort McCoy is one of eight U.S. military bases that will temporarily house Afghans who have fled their country after the recent collapse of the government to the Taliban.
The base can host up to 13,000. As of Friday, 8,780 refugees had arrived.
On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin and Congressman Ron Kind are scheduled to visit the fort, leading a group of Democratic lawmakers. Senator Ron Johnson and some Republican legislators toured Ft. McCoy as a group in August.