Pentagon to mandate COVID-19 vaccination in US military

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• The Pentagon said Monday that it would seek approval from President Joe Biden to require all military members to get the COVID-19 vaccine by mid-September.
• Biden has welcomed the Pentagon’s announcement.
• The FDA is expected to grant Pfizer-BioNTech full regulatory approval of its COVID-19 vaccine.

The US Pentagon announced on Monday that it would ask President Joe Biden to mandate the COVID-19 vaccination among the 1.3 million military members by mid-September, a time where the vaccine is expected to get a full-regulatory clearance.

Last month, Biden actually instructed the Pentagon to plan and schedule the proposed compulsory inoculation for all US military personnel. The president previously urged all federal workers to take the shots.

“I strongly support … the Department of Defense’s plan to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of required vaccinations for our service members not later than mid-September,” the president said in a statement.

In a memo, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that the schedule could be changed if the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gives an earlier full-clearance. He also said that there would be alternative plans which would depend on the pandemic situation.

Speaking anonymously, two US officials revealed that mandatory vaccination could have been approved earlier,if not for a pending full-FDA clearance.

In a statement, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said that the US troops were not given a deadline to get inoculated.

Meanwhile, White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said that he was hoping that the FDA will give full vaccine approval as soon as this August.

Around half of the US armed forces were already fully-vaccinated, per the US military. The figures only accounted active US service members and did not involve reserve members and the National Guard.

Most vaccinated military members came from the Navy troops, badly hit by the virus last year. Over 75 percent of them are fully-vaccinated.

Based on the Pentagon data, there were 28 fatalities among the US troops due to the virus.

The FDA is anticipated to grant full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine next month. In this regard, military troops who already had a prior vaccine schedule would be moved to September. The vaccine is presently operating under the emergency use clearance.

Source: Reuters