Airman 1st Class Kevin Donovan, an aerospace medical technician at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, administers an influenza vaccine to Army Sgt. Jairo Zavala on Oct. 4, 2023. (Marcy Sanchez/LRMC)
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Shipments of COVID-19 vaccines to Europe are delayed, while a new appointment system requires added steps to obtain flu shots at the largest American military community overseas.
Both Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and Ramstein Air Base are still awaiting delivery of the latest coronavirus shots, which became available stateside in September.
Last month, base officials said vaccine shipments were supposed to begin Sept. 25, subject to product availability.
Vaccines go to installations based on when orders were received, Peter Graves, a spokesman for the Defense Health Agency, told Stars and Stripes last month.
No timeline has been announced for the vaccine’s arrival. The Army hospital will post information on its website and social media accounts telling people how to make appointments when the doses do come, spokesman Marcy Sanchez said.
Bases in Europe are ordering the vaccine based on their beneficiary population and expected demand, said Kirk Frady, a spokesman for Medical Readiness Command, Europe.
Some clinics are expected to offer “vaccine rodeo” drives, Frady said, adding that demand isn’t expected to be as high as for influenza immunizations.
The Pentagon rescinded its COVID-19 vaccination mandate for active-duty troops in January. The seasonal flu shot, however, is still required for service members as well as for employees and students at Defense Department schools on U.S. bases.
Flu immunizations are available now at most bases. But some locations, particularly in the Kaiserslautern Military Community, are no longer offering mass vaccination drives.
The changes make it unclear whether the same numbers of civilians and family members will decide to get the shot as in previous years.
Seaman Apprentice Abigail Garcia administers the COVID-19 vaccination to Petty Officer 1st Class Jesse Sharpe at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., on Dec. 22, 2022. Many clinics at U.S. bases in Europe have yet to receive the latest vaccine. (U.S. Navy)
The vaccine’s effectiveness varies annually, largely based on whether the flu strains in the inoculation match the most prevalent types in circulation.
When it is effective, service members are less likely to get the flu if the civilians and family members they interact with regularly are also inoculated.
To get the shot in the KMC and elsewhere, beneficiaries may go to the military’s health portal at https://informatics-stage.health.mil/DAP/. They can select an appointment time and register, if necessary, at a clinic.
The Landstuhl hospital previously held drives at outlying Army bases, schools and gyms.
But because of the transition to MHS Genesis, the Pentagon’s electronic health care recordkeeping system, shot appointments are being offered in the community only at the hospital and the Kleber Kaserne clinic.
“We are ensuring we have all the required information to properly document the vaccination of individuals for safety/public health reasons, while also ensuring the correct information is inputted into our records,” Sanchez said in a statement Wednesday.
Most bases in Europe are still offering flu vaccination drives or walk-in immunization clinics.
The Navy installation in Naples, Italy, for example, announced it will open flu shot clinics starting this week at the hospital and at the Capodichino health clinic.
Ramstein Air Base is administering the flu shot to DOD teachers at Building 2116 near Pizza Hut on Thursday from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.; meanwhile, family members 6 and older who are covered by Tricare can get the shot there Friday from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., and again from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Wiesbaden is accepting flu shot appointments for nearly a dozen days next month through the military’s health portal. An appointment slot must be selected for each family member, the site says, but families will be able to get the shot at the same time regardless of their appointment time.
