US Army reaches 98 per cent vaccination rate following mandate

Some 6,200 soldiers have refused to take the vaccine by the deadline

Ninety-eight per cent of the US Army has met this week’s mandate deadline.

Some 468,459 active service members have had at least one shot of the coronavirus vaccine, while 96 per cent – 461,209 – of soldiers are fully vaccinated.

Some 6,200 soldiers refused to take the vaccine, 3,800 of these have provided medical and religious exemptions. The Army received more than 1,700 religious accommodation requests, of which 85 have been disapproved and more than 1,660 are under review.

Those with no exceptions, who continue to refuse the shot, will be discharged. Six US Army leaders, including two two battalion commanders, have already been relieved from their posts, due to refusing the vaccine.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said that getting the Covid shot was about maintaining a healthy, ready force.

“Vaccinating our soldiers against Covid-19 is first and foremost about Army readiness,” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said in a statement.

This week the US Air Force discharged 27 airmen for refusing the vaccine, these were the first service members to be relieved from their post for not following the mandate.

The uptake of vaccinations in the US military is higher on average than the public uptake. Sixty-one per cent of people in the US are fully vaccinated. Military personnel are already required to take multiple vaccines, depending on where they are posted.

“To those who continue to refuse the vaccine and are not pending a final decision on a medical or administrative exemption, I strongly encourage you to get the vaccine. If not, we will begin involuntary separation proceedings,” said Ms Wormuth.