One third of US military to refuse the COVID-19 vaccine

World

Published: 2021-02-18 11:03

Last Updated: 2024-03-28 15:10


Source: Army.mil
Source: Army.mil

A senior Pentagon official announced on Wednesday that a third of the US armed forces refuse to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, despite the fact that the coronavirus is rampant in their ranks and they are participating in the national campaign to vaccinate the US population.

"Acceptance rates are close to two-thirds," said Major General Jeff Talivero during a congressional hearing, at a time when the Pentagon still considers military personnel to receive the Covid-19 vaccine optional.

Talivero noted that this figure is based on "very raw data."

A spokesman for the US Department of Defense, John Kirby, said that the Pentagon does not currently have detailed data on the entire army with regard to vaccination, stressing that, to date, the US military has received a total of 916,500 doses.

This number does not explain exactly how many soldiers have been vaccinated until today, because the vaccine is given in two doses, which means that some of them may have received one dose and others two doses.

Kirby stressed that the level of vaccine rejection among the armed forces is roughly similar to that of the general population.

The government has recruited members of the armed forces and the National Guard to support the crews working on the national vaccination campaign against COVID-19 across the country.

The Pentagon requires that all military personnel receive most of the standard vaccines, but this does not apply to vaccines against COVID-19 because their use was authorized under an emergency license and therefore cannot be imposed on members of the armed forces, according to the spokesman.

"There is a real, legal impediment (...) to make vaccination compulsory for military personnel and their families," Kirby said.