Lawmakers call on Biden to make COVID vaccines mandatory for the military

Geoff Ziezulewicz

Source Link

A group of lawmakers is calling on President Joe Biden to make the COVID vaccines mandatory for all military members.

Calling unvaccinated troops “a critical threat to our national security and public health,” U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., sent a letter to the White House Wednesday urging Biden to issue a “waiver of informed consent” that would force troops, if ordered, to get the vaccines as soon as they were eligible.

“Vaccinating every eligible servicemember will improve readiness and have an immediate and positive impact on the communities in which they serve,” Panetta wrote. “Requiring DOD to obtain informed consent prior to vaccination is not only harmful to our national security, but contrary to the best interests of servicemembers, their families, communities and colleagues.”

The letter, co-signed by six other congressional Democrats, cites testimony by military officials last month that roughly a third of servicemembers had thus far declined the COVID-19 vaccines.

A December report from the nonprofit advocacy group Blue Star Families found that just 40 percent of active-duty troops planned to get the vaccine, while 49 percent planned to decline it and 11 percent were undecided.

Here's why 1 in 3 service members are declining the vaccine.

In Wednesday’s letter, Panetta also alluded to media reports highlighting vaccine disinformation and skepticism within the ranks, hesitancies recently highlighted by Military Times.

Troops told Military Times their reluctance was based on the speed with which the vaccines were developed and the potential for unknown side effects, concerns that medical experts say are largely unfounded.