Roughly 9,000 active-duty Marines, or 5% of the branch, did not receive the coronavirus vaccine ahead of Sunday’s deadline.
There are roughly 180,100 active-duty Marines, according to the Washington Post, and the military branch revealed on Monday that 95% of them had received at least one dose of the vaccine.
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“I have great appreciation for all those who made these vaccinations possible, including the civilian and Navy medical personnel who worked tirelessly over the past months to protect our Marines and families,” said Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. David Berger.
Some of the troops who remain unvaccinated have either applied or been granted an exemption. To date, 14 service members have been granted a permanent medical exemption, 316 have been granted a temporary medical exemption, and 452 have been granted temporary administrative exemptions.
Additionally, 2,441 active-duty Marines have applied for religious exemptions — none have been approved to date — and 1,902 of them have been processed.
Currently, 79% of the Marine Corps Reserve has received at least one dose of the vaccine, and they have until Dec. 28 to become fully vaccinated.
The Navy had the same deadline for vaccination among active-duty sailors, though its rate is higher than the Marines. As of last Wednesday, 99.7% of active-duty sailors had received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to data from the Navy, though they have not released data from the time of Sunday’s deadline.
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Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered all military personnel to get vaccinated back in August, and each branch was provided with the chance to implement their own deadline for active and reserve forces — and for how to punish those who refuse the order.
