ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Beginning Jan. 10, Pentagon officials will tighten access to the building and increase telework opportunities to combat rising COVID-19 cases.

Driven by the highly contagious omicron variant, new COVID-19 cases per day in the U.S. have more than tripled over the past two weeks, reaching a record-shattering average of 480,000, the Associated Press reported. On Jan. 4, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said omicron accounted for 95% of new coronavirus infections in the U.S. last week, according to AP.

Less than 1% of active-duty soldiers have declined to be vaccinated against COVID-19, the Army said Dec. 16, one day after its vaccination deadline.  

By the deadline, 98% of the active-duty Army had received at least one dose of a vaccine, and 96% were fully vaccinated.  

With just weeks to go before the Army’s COVID-19 vaccination deadline for active-duty soldiers, the service announced it will bar promotion, reenlistment and other favorable actions for those who don’t get the shot.

Improvements are being planned in mental health and suicide prevention screening for separating service members after an investigation by the DoD inspector general discovered the Army and other services weren't following previously enacted federal and Pentagon guidance.

The IG found the services were failing to screen military members before leaving the military. The service members also weren’t provided a promised immediate referral for post-service treatment if they had been receiving mental health counseling or treatment while in the service.

Facing COVID-19, a new and silent enemy, the Army fought back with a level of cooperation and created “a synergy that was unprecedented,” Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. R. Scott Dingle said Oct. 13 at the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2021 Annual Meeting and Exposition.

Chronic pain is a leading cause of disability and reduced readiness among active-duty service members, a Rand Corp. study that analyzed Military Health System data found.

The Army can do more to help prevent suicides among soldiers, according to a senior leader, who said the service is about to begin a “deep dive” into the cause of suicides over the past two years among young active-duty soldiers.

Active-duty units must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dec. 15, the Army announced Sept. 14 as it implements a vaccine mandate put in place by DoD.

Under the Army’s plan, units in the Army National Guard and Army Reserve must be fully vaccinated by June 30, 2022.