More than two-thirds of members of the US military who offered the COVID-19 vaccine chose to receive it – but the high rate of troops refusing causes lawmakers to express serious concerns.
Speaking before the Chamber’s Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, Defense officials, including Maj. Air Force genes. Jeff Taliaferro, deputy director of operations for the Joint Chiefs, and Steven Nordhaus, director of operations for the National Guard Bureau, said the rate of vaccine acceptance by the troops is on average between 66% and 70%.
Taliaferro added that the fee “varies according to different groups”, but the refusal of the vaccine did not affect the implantation because the military adapted to work in a pandemic environment.
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“The combatants’ services and commands have worked hard over the past year to ensure that we can operate in a COVID environment long before vaccines are available,” he said during the testimony. “The addition of the vaccine should make us more capable.”
According to Taliaferro, the Department of Defense distributed 506,000 shots, including 147,000 second shots to military personnel.
Taliaferro did not provide reasons why a third of the American military offered the vaccine – mainly those in high-risk jobs, such as health care, security personnel, those in vital positions for national security and those who are about to deploy – refused it.
He added that being vaccinated “is the right thing to do” and leaders need to be involved in promoting its benefits.
“It is clearly safe for the military and we need to continue to educate our strength and help them understand the benefits,” said Taliaferro.
Since the start of the pandemic, 150,910 US service members have tested positive for COVID-19; 21 died.
The largest military force, the US Army, recorded the most cases, with 53,030. The Navy had 31,326; the Air Force, 27,343; and the Marine Corps, 18,783.
The National Guard Office, which saw its members deployed to assist with COVID-19 testing and vaccinations and responded to natural disasters, domestic disturbances and riots last year, had 19,422 cases.
In light of the infections and their impact on training, Rep. Trent Kelly, R-Miss., A Major General in the Army National Guard, said that a voluntary vaccination approach “just doesn’t make sense if we say the vaccine is safe. “
He proposed drafting legislation that would allow the vaccine to be mandatory during an emergency use authorization.
“Do you think it would be useful for us to change that in Congress so that [it] Can be — May Do not be he must be – mandatory for service members? Kelly asked.
DoD officials said discussions on the proposal would need to be conducted between the Pentagon, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Congress.
They said they would provide Congress with a copy of the legal authority that they interpreted as meaning that the vaccine must be taken voluntarily while it is being distributed under an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.
Representative Mark Green, R-Tenn., A retired Army flight surgeon who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, opposed Kelly’s proposal, saying that “thorough research” needed to be done before “sealing our warriors with medication experimental. “
“The legislation was passed to prevent the use of any experimental medicine on an active soldier. … I think it is a bad idea to change it,” said Green.
Members of Congress also expressed concern about the impact of the pandemic and the vaccine’s hesitation on readiness, citing reductions or cancellations of training and exercise for nearly a year. Taliaferro said 99 military exercises were canceled because of COVID-19 and 37 were postponed.
“We have obviously seen outbreaks of COVID-19 disrupting operations, especially Navy deployments,” said Rep. Jim Langevin, DR.I. “Do the military have the right to refuse vaccination? Obviously, it affects readiness ”.
“How long will it take us to do [lost training time] above? And what is the impact on the progress of operations? “Green asked.
Taliaferro said the Forces would never be able to make up for the loss of major strength training exercises, but added that readiness “remained within historical norms”.
“Smaller formations have allowed the Forces to maintain their basic and current proficiency and readiness for combat,” he said.
Defense Department officials said the COVID-19 vaccine will remain voluntary as long as it is under emergency use authorization. This designation should last up to two years while the FDA evaluates the vaccination’s effectiveness and side effects.
Last week, Vice Admiral Andrew Lewis, commander of the US Second Fleet, discussed accepting the vaccine with reporters as the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group prepared for a pre-implantation vaccine clinic. According to Lewis, 80% of the crew expressed intentions to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine.
He said the service will determine vaccination as soon as possible.
“We can’t make it mandatory yet,” said Lewis. “I can say that we will probably make it mandatory as soon as possible, just as we do with the flu shot.”
– Patricia Kime can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow her on twitter @patriciakime
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