SAN DIEGO (Dec. 21, 2020) Capt. Bradford Smith, commanding officer of Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD), receives the COVID-19 vaccine, Dec. 21, 2020. NMCSD and Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton (NHCP) were selected by the Department of Defense’s (DOD) COVID Task Force to receive the first doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine base on recommendations from the military services and U.S. Coast Guard, to be support several criteria, to include anticipated supply chain requirements, such as cold and bulk storage facilities, local population of at least 1,000 priority personnel across the military services, and sufficient medical personnel to administer vaccines and actively monitor vaccine recipients. NMCSD’s mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high quality healthcare services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training and research. NMCSD employs more than 6,000 active duty military personnel, civilians and contractors in Southern California to provide patients with world-class care anytime, anywhere. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Jeremy Wood)