Pentagon to require COVID vaccine for all troops by mid-Sept.

[SheltieLover]

https://www.localmemphis.com/mobile/article/news/health/coronavirus/pentagon-to-require-covid-vaccine-for-all-troops/507-f6afe932-d08a-42dd-98c8-c6da8ecdcc08

The deadline for U.S. military members could be pushed up if the vaccine receives final FDA approval before then or infection rates continue to rise.

“I will seek the president’s approval to make the vaccines mandatory no later than mid-September, or immediately upon" licensure by the Food and Drug Administration "whichever comes first,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says in the memo to troops, warning them to prepare for the requirement. "I will not hesitate to act sooner or recommend a different course to the President if l feel the need to do so.”

The memo is expected to go out Monday.

Austin's decision comes a bit more than a week after President Joe Biden told defense officials to develop a plan requiring troops to get shots as part of a broader campaign to increase vaccinations in the federal workforce. It reflects similar decisions by governments and companies around the world, as nations struggle with the highly contagious delta variant that has sent new U.S. cases, hospitalizations and deaths surging to heights not see since the peaks last winter.

Morevat link.

[Rhiannon12866]

1. Just heard this on the news, hoping it's the first of many!