While an overwhelming majority of the active-duty Air Force complied with the coronavirus vaccine mandate, there were nearly 5,000 personnel who requested a religious exemption, and none were granted before Tuesday’s deadline.
The Air Force announced in a statement on Wednesday that 95.9% of active-duty airmen were fully immunized by the imposed deadline, meaning roughly 13,000 of the Air Force’s 326,000 personnel failed to comply.
ACTIVE-DUTY TROOPS IN EACH MILITARY BRANCH EXCEED 90% PARTIAL OR FULL VACCINATION
“Our Airmen need to be prepared to operate anytime, anywhere in the world,” said Air Force chief of staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. “Getting vaccinated ensures we are a ready force to meet our commitments to the Nation while protecting the health of our team and families.”
One percent of the active-duty Air Force is partially vaccinated, according to the statement, while nearly 8,500 remain unvaccinated. Of those individuals, roughly 2,700 have “not started” the vaccination process, 800 “refused,” and slightly fewer than 5,000 are seeking religious exemptions that are still being considered.
At the time of the deadline, the Air Force had granted 1,634 medical exemptions, 232 administrative exemptions, and zero exemptions for religious purposes. Those who have sought and been granted an exemption are not tallied in the Air Force’s count of unvaccinated airmen.
The Department of the Air Force will continue to review requests for medical exemptions and religious accommodations over the next month.
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As of last week, 139 Department of the Air Force personnel have died from complications related to the coronavirus.
The Air Force has the earliest vaccination deadline among all of the service branches, and each has an extended deadline for reserve troops. Each branch has reported that at least 90% of its active-duty forces are partially or fully vaccinated.
