Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger cited “disinformation” as the reason there are thousands under his leadership who have not yet been vaccinated for the coronavirus.
Berger said Thursday during the Aspen Security Forum that the force is being “challenged by disinformation … that still swirls around about where the genesis, how did this vaccine get approved, is it safe, is it ethical — all that swirls around on the internet, and they see all that, they read all that.”
As of last Monday, 93% of Marines were partially or fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.
AUSTIN SIGNS OFF ON INVESTIGATION FINDING NOTHING ILLEGAL IN BOTCHED AFGHANISTAN STRIKE
Each Marine must be vaccinated by Nov. 28, but troops are not considered fully vaccinated until two weeks after the final dose of a two-shot vaccine or that same time period after a one-shot dose. This means the final shot will actually have to be given by this Sunday.
“We have to be ready to go every day, all the time,” Berger explained. “We are the ready force. We have to be ready to go.”
He also noted that there are more than a dozen non-COVID-19 vaccinations that troops are required to receive, though some are specific to troops in certain locations.
“Just to get through boot camp, you got to get 12 vaccinations,” he said.
If the vaccination rate of the Marines remains the same until the deadline, it would leave more than 12,500 Marines unvaccinated, according to Military.com.
The Nov. 28 deadline for the Marines is the same for the Navy, which has reported that active-duty sailors have a 99% vaccination rate.
The Air Force is the only military branch whose vaccination deadline has passed, being last Tuesday. Slightly less than 96% was vaccinated in time, while roughly 8,500 remain unvaccinated.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Of those, roughly 2,700 have “not started” the vaccination process, 800 “refused,” and slightly fewer than 5,000 are seeking religious exemptions, which are still being considered.
At the time of the deadline, the Air Force had granted 1,634 medical exemptions, 232 administrative exemptions, and none for religious purposes. Those who have sought and been granted an exemption are not tallied in the Air Force’s count for those unvaccinated.
