A health care professional measures a dose of the Moderna vaccine at a California vaccination site on Feb. 2, 2021. (Gina Ferazzi, The Los Angeles Times/TNS)
(Tribune News Service) — The Army is directing commands to prepare to administer mandatory COVID-19 vaccines as soon as Sept. 1, Army Times is reporting.
The Department of the Army Headquarters has sent an executive order to commands that the vaccines will become mandatory “on or around 01 September 2021 pending full Food and Drug Administration licensure.”
“Commands will be prepared to provide a backbrief on servicemember vaccination status and way ahead for completion once the vaccine is mandated,” the order said according to the report in the Times.
No official guidance has yet been issued.
About 70% of the Army is currently vaccinated against coronavirus though demand has dropped sharply in recent months.
The Veterans Affairs administration is currently considering requiring all VA staffers to receive a vaccine, as is the U.S. Navy.
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