“CNN” (CNN) reported on October 10 that sources provided it with information that, under a variety of considerations, close to 40 percent of the 120,000 U.S. Marine Corps officers and soldiers currently eligible for the CCP pneumonia vaccine have declined the vaccination. As the epidemic continues, it threatens to affect their combat readiness.
Reports indicate that of the 220,000 active and reserve U.S. Marines, 75,000 have been vaccinated, 48,000 have refused, and about 100,000 are still waiting for the vaccine. For example, more than 15,000 of the 26,000 troops at Camp Lejeune, a key U.S. Marine Corps base in North Carolina and home of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, have refused vaccination.
Colonel Kelly Frushour, a spokesman for the U.S. Marine Corps, said soldiers are choosing not to get the vaccine because they have ceded their right to receive it to others, have been approved for other reasons, are at risk for vaccine allergies or are waiting for the vaccine to actually be recognized as mandatory once it has passed more certification.
Because the vaccine has not yet been adequately tested and certified, the FDA has only granted emergency use clearance for some vaccines, preventing the U.S. military from mandating vaccination of its troops. U.S. military officials say most soldiers are hesitant to get vaccinated, mainly because they are concerned about the speed of vaccine development or the long-term effects it may bring.
With the U.S. military stationed around the world, if such a large number of troops still refuse to be vaccinated before the epidemic subsides, it could affect their readiness in the event of a crisis. Only last month, some Democratic members of Congress jointly appealed to President Biden to make vaccination mandatory for U.S. troops, saying that the decision to refuse vaccination was influenced by “disinformation and skepticism.
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