Mandatory COVID Shots Imminent for Troops
Mandatory COVID Shots Imminent for Troops
The military is moving forward with plans to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for service members now that Pfizer’s vaccine has received full approval, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said.
On Aug. 23, the Food and Drug Administration announced its full approval of the two-shot vaccine made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech, the Associated Press reported. More than 200 million Pfizer doses have been administered in the U.S. and hundreds of millions more worldwide, according to the AP.
“The public can be very confident that this vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product,” said acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, according to the AP. “Today’s milestone puts us one step closer to altering the course of this pandemic in the U.S.”
Kirby said DoD is developing “actionable guidance” for the force, mandating the vaccine. He expected more details, including a timeline for vaccination completion, in the “coming days.”
“The health of the force is always, of our military and civilian employees, families and communities, is a top priority,” Kirby said. “These efforts ensure the safety of our service members and promote the readiness of our force, not to mention the health and safety of the communities around the country in which we live.”
DoD has been preparing for weeks to make the COVID-19 vaccines mandatory, after President Joe Biden asked the military to consider how and when it could add the vaccines to the list of vaccinations required for all troops.
After consulting with senior military leaders, the service secretaries and chiefs and medical personnel, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in an Aug. 9 memo to the force that he planned to seek Biden’s approval “to make the vaccines mandatory by mid-September or immediately upon the U.S. Food and Drug Agency (FDA) licensure, whichever comes first.”
Mandating the vaccines is the Pentagon’s latest action as the U.S. grapples with rising COVID-19 cases.
After a sharp decline, the number of COVID-19 cases across the country began to increase in mid-June—rising by about 300% between June 19 and July 23—because of the highly transmissible delta variant of the virus and a decline in vaccinations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Other measures include masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status, in areas with “substantial or high community transmission” of COVID-19.
The nation needs a “healthy and ready force,” Austin said in the Aug. 9 memo. “I strongly encourage all DoD military and civilian personnel—as well as contractor personnel—to get vaccinated now and for military Service members to not wait for the mandate.”