Get 40% Off
🤯 This Tech Portfolio is up 29% YTD! Join Now to Get April’s Top PicksGet The Picks – Just 99 USD

Marines on track for worst vaccination record in U.S. military

Published 11/21/2021, 12:06 PM
Updated 11/21/2021, 04:15 PM
© Reuters. U.S. President Joe Biden looks on as he hands challenge coins to the members of the U.S. Marine Corps Honor Guard before boarding Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, U.S., August 29, 2021. REUTERS/Tom Brenner

© Reuters. U.S. President Joe Biden looks on as he hands challenge coins to the members of the U.S. Marine Corps Honor Guard before boarding Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, U.S., August 29, 2021. REUTERS/Tom Brenner

By Ahmed Aboulenein

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Marine Corps is set to have the worst vaccination record among military branches, with thousands of active-duty personnel set to miss the service's Nov. 28 deadline to be fully inoculated.

About 91% of active personnel are fully vaccinated and 94% partially vaccinated as of Wednesday, according to a Marine Corps statement on Sunday.

Service members are considered fully vaccinated 14 days after getting a single Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) shot or 14 days after their second dose of Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) or Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) vaccine -- meaning it is too late for many to complete the vaccination process by the deadline.

The Navy has the highest vaccination rate at 96.7% of active-duty personnel fully vaccinated, followed by the Air Force at 96.4%. An Army spokesperson said 92% of active-duty soldiers were fully vaccinated. The Army deadline is Dec. 15 for active duty and June 30 for the National Guard.

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth warned on Tuesday that soldiers, including National Guard members, who refuse to get vaccinated would not have their service renewed unless they have an approved exemption, according to a memo seen by Reuters.

Her warnings come as Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, a Republican, defied the federal mandate and said he would not require National Guard members in his state to get vaccinated.

Other Republicans opposing vaccine mandates include Senator Ted Cruz who on Saturday responded to Wormuth's memo by tweeting: "Biden admin persecuting our soldiers. This is not good for America."

© Reuters. U.S. President Joe Biden looks on as he hands challenge coins to the members of the U.S. Marine Corps Honor Guard before boarding Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, U.S., August 29, 2021. REUTERS/Tom Brenner

In addition to the military, the Biden administration mandated vaccination for most federal employees, contractors, and health workers. More recently the White House said it would require private employers with at least 100 workers to mandate vaccination or weekly testing, a rule being challenged in court.

Nearly 60% of Americans are fully vaccinated.

Latest comments

It's not a matter of personal health risk. It's a matter of passing infection on to less healthy. Everyone wants herd immunity. This helps build that firewall. I really don't know why it's so hard to understand.
vaccinated don't spread the virus any less than unvaccinated, especially if they've previously been infected. Vaccine only helps protect not yet infected against severe reaction for a limited period of time. Is sacrificing their lives not enough for you Cory?
Let's be honest, considering that these marines are some of the healthiest people in society, requiring them to get the vaccine is for the benefit of others, not themselves.  It appears their sacrifice on the battlefield is not enough.
Why force Marines whom are very fit to accept medical experiment they have less than 0.01% risk?
Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.