WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Pentagon on Monday is expected to seek U.S. President Joe Biden’s approval to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for service members no later than the middle of September, two U.S. officials told Reuters.
Last month, President Joe Biden urged local governments to pay people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and set new rules requiring federal workers to provide proof of vaccination or face regular testing, mask mandates and travel restrictions.
At the time, he had directed the Pentagon to look into “how and when” it will require members of the military to take the vaccine.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that more than a month had been given with the hope that the Food and Drug Administration will have given the Pfizer vaccine full approval.
The deadline could be moved up if the FDA approves the vaccine earlier.
An official statement is expected to be released later on Monday.
The U.S. military says around half the U.S. armed forces are already fully vaccinated, a number that climbs significantly when counting only active duty troops and excluding National Guard and reserve members.
Vaccination rates are highest in the Navy, which suffered from a high-profile outbreak last year aboard an aircraft carrier. About 73% of sailors are fully vaccinated.
That compares with the U.S. national average of about 60% of adults ages 18 and over who have been fully vaccinated.
Because U.S. troops are generally younger and fitter, relatively few U.S. servicemembers have died as a result of COVID-19 – just 28 in total, according to Pentagon data.
(Reporting by Idrees Ali; editing by Susan Heavey and Cynthia Osterman)
