COLOMBIA – Base leaders knew it was just a matter of when the coronavirus would arrive between the ranks of Fort Jackson.
The Army’s largest basic training center, which channels 45,000 recruits from across the country each year, saw its first COVID-19 cases just before April last year.
Within days, it began to spread.
Soon, the base was closed to outside visitors. The camp schedule was temporarily paused. Graduation ceremonies have become virtual and masks are now standard items for soldiers.
Since then, Fort Jackson and other major state bases have adapted and learned to deal with COVID-19. Vaccines are readily available to the US military through the Department of Defense.
But there is also confusion: since the vaccine was created under an emergency mandate and does not yet have a full license from the Food and Drug Administration, it is not mandatory.
As a result, some military personnel across the country, including those in South Carolina, are refusing to receive treatment for a variety of reasons. It has become the latest challenge for the state’s military bases, which must combat the spread of disinformation among the military and announce the benefits of the vaccine.
It is necessary for everyone, the Pentagon preaches, so that the military can continue to operate without fear of another outbreak.
Sgt. Wayne Parnell, a health specialist at Moncrief Army Health Clinic, fills a syringe with the COVID-19 vaccine on January 8 at the Solomon Center in Fort Jackson. Fort Jackson Public Affairs / Provided
The extent of the refusals is uncertain. The Department of Defense has been hesitant to provide consistent data on how many military personnel are choosing not to be vaccinated and officials are not dividing the data state by state.
During a hearing by the House Armed Services Committee last month about the Pentagon’s response to the coronavirus, officials said that about 33 percent of service members refused voluntary vaccines. On March 1, authorities announced that 1,144,697 shots were administered from 1,275,925 doses distributed among the military, showing positive signs of further vaccinations.
The Pentagon created a website to directly address rumors spread online, such as “US service members who visited China were the source of the coronavirus outbreak” and “COVID-19 vaccines will be mandatory for service members as soon as they become available. , effectively using our military as ‘guinea pigs’. “
It depends on base leaders in places like Fort Jackson, Shaw Air Force Base, Charleston Joint Base and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island to help convey the Pentagon’s message so that everyone at its facility can volunteer to be vaccinated.
Colonel Tara Hall, commander of the Moncrief Army Health Clinic in Fort Jackson, heard a variety of reasons why some soldiers do not want to get the vaccine. She said it is her job to help them make an informed decision.
“The myths that are causing hesitation in the general public are the same things that we are fighting here,” Hall told the Post and Courier.
“We are not just telling them the right information, but giving them the tools to do their own research on trusted sites, like the CDC and the FDA, so they can get the most up-to-date evidence based on the information. is telling them, “she added.
Mackenzie Eaglen, a military policy researcher at the nonprofit American Enterprise Institute in Washington, said the trends mainly follow what experts are seeing as the public receives the vaccine. Younger adults are less likely to die from the virus and are not in a hurry to receive the doses.
Eaglen said that if the Department of Defense could determine the vaccine, they would likely do so, to ensure that military operations are uninhibited.
“In particular, it is young military men who are refusing,” she said. “And that goes with Americans in general. Young people, therefore, 18 to 24 years old, are the range that is decreasing at a higher rate. I think the department leadership is now thinking about everything it can do, except demand a vaccine to encourage higher numbers. “
Fort Jackson tried to build confidence in the vaccine using a variety of methods. They hold fortnightly virtual prefectures, where soldiers at the base can hear commanders, officers and health experts who deal with rumors and misinformation about how to get the shot.
Hall said the team also produces “Mythbuster” style interviews that they promote on social media to help encourage skeptics to be vaccinated.
Other military bases are taking similar approaches across the state.
At Shaw Air Force Base, service members shared why they chose to be vaccinated in a series of Facebook posts as a way to encourage their colleagues to get the vaccine.
“I work with high-risk patients every day, I didn’t want to be responsible for them contracting the virus,” said the sergeant. Jake Spencer, a medical technician at Shaw, said in a Facebook post.
So far, the message appears to have been successful. A spokeswoman for Sumter’s base said they managed all 3,400 cows received.
Notably, recruits on Parris Island or trainees at Fort Jackson do not receive the vaccine during training.
The Department of Defense is currently taking a gradual vaccination approach that reflects what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are suggesting across the country. Vulnerable service members and mission-critical personnel are some of the first to receive the shots.
Recruits from the Oscar Company, 4th Recruitment Training Battalion, hear a class on the Marine Corps Recruitment Depot on Parris Island, SC, February 24, 2021. Recruits take preparation classes for the final test, which it is a requirement for graduation. US Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Ryan Hageali / Provided
Although it takes some time for the vaccine to become mandatory, Pentagon press secretary John F. Kirby said the defense secretary expects the military to choose to receive treatment.
“What he wants the military to remember is that it is a decision that you are also making for your teammates and the readiness of your unit,” said Kirby.