This Coronavirus disease vaccine The mission expected to be performed for 1.3 million service personnel as early as Friday is facing the distrust of some military personnel, who are now questioning their rights.
It is expected that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will soon recommend that all active forces in the U.S. military must be vaccinated against COVID — an action taken after President Biden required all federal employees to be vaccinated.
Federal employees who have not been vaccinated will be subject to regular New coronavirus detection And other measures.
Army lawyer Greg T. Rinckey from Tully Rinckey Law Firm received a series of calls asking hundreds of military personnel about possible authorization. They wanted to know their rights and whether they could take legal action if they were ordered to be vaccinated against COVID. Associated Press Report.
Rinckey told the news media, “Many U.S. troops have contacted us and said,’I don’t want untested vaccines. I’m not sure if it is safe. I don’t believe in government vaccines. What rights do I have?'”
However, in terms of vaccines, the legal rights of military personnel are limited, because the military’s residential area is very close, so they are regarded as an important part of the service.
The Associated Press said that Austin is expected to ask Biden to abandon the federal law, which allows individuals to choose whether to vaccinate if the vaccine is not fully licensed. The cancellation of the exemption will also help the government avoid legal disputes, which occurred when the anthrax vaccine was enforced in the 1990s, which was not fully approved.
COVID vaccine comes from Pfizer, Modern, and Johnson & Johnson It is only authorized for emergency use without approval, although Pfizer is expected to receive full approval from the Food and Drug Administration early next month. New York Times Report.
But according to The Times, Pentagon spokesperson John F. Kirby said at a press conference on Tuesday that Austin is not expected to wait until the vaccine is approved to promote the authorization of the COVID vaccine for military personnel.
“He won’t let grass grow under his feet,” Kirby said. “We will have more to say here in a short time.”
According to the Associated Press, the Pentagon said that so far, more than 1 million military personnel have been vaccinated against COVID-19, and more than 237,000 of them have received at least one dose of the vaccine. According to The Times, this represents approximately 64% of active military personnel, which is higher than the 60% of fully vaccinated Americans over 18 years of age.
When news of the possible mandatory use of military vaccines came, the United States believes that the number of COVID cases has increased significantly because Delta variant Swept the country. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that this highly infectious variant now accounts for 93% of all COVID cases nationwide.
Photo: Reuters/Mario Tama/Pool
