By Oren Liebermann, Ellie Kaufman and Devan Cole | CNN
Nearly 40 percent of U.S. Marines are declining Covid-19 vaccines, according to data provided Friday to CNN by the service, the first branch to reveal service numbers in acceptance and decline.
As of Thursday, approximately 75,500 Marines have received vaccines, including fully vaccinated and partially vaccinated men and women. Some 48,000 sailors have chosen not to receive vaccines, with a decline rate of 38.9%.
CNN has contacted the other services to obtain acceptance and decline rates.
The corresponding acceptance percentage for vaccines among seafarers (61.1%) does not deviate from the military estimate of two-thirds, or approximately 66%.
Another 102,000 Marines have not yet been offered the vaccines. The total number of marines includes active duty marines, Augmentee reserves and individual mobilization.
The rate of decline at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, one of the Marine Corps ’main bases, was much higher, at 57%, according to another data set provided to CNN. Of the 26,400 sailors who have been offered vaccines, 15,100 have chosen not to receive them, a number that includes both the II Marine Expeditionary Force and the Installation of the Marine Corps to the East – Camp Lejeune. Vaccines are expected to be offered to another 11,500 active marine children.
“We fully understand that widespread acceptance of the Covid-19 vaccine provides us with the best means to overcome the pandemic. The key to tackling the pandemic is to build confidence in vaccines, “Navy spokeswoman Kelly Frushour told CNN.
Frushour said there are a number of possible reasons why a sailor may choose not to receive a vaccine, including allowing others to receive it first, waiting until it is mandatory, getting it through other channels, or being allergic to the vaccine. vaccine.
“Service members who reject one day may change their minds and get vaccinated when the opportunity arises,” he said.
CNN reported last month that the rejection rate for vaccination among service members could be close to 50%, a notably higher amount than defense officials have publicly used at 33%.
The military cannot make vaccines mandatory now, as they only have emergency use authorizations from the Food and Drug Administration, that is, members of the service who are required to do so. series of other vaccines have the option to decrease shots to protect against Covid-19.
Officials say most of the vaccine’s hesitation comes from concerns about how quickly vaccines developed and fears about long-term effects.
The Department of Defense has approximately 2.2 million service members operating worldwide. For every 10 percentage point drop in the acceptance rate, there are 220,000 individuals who choose not to receive vaccines, a number potentially enough to affect strength preparation. Last year, the military experienced a handful of high-profile Covid outbreaks, including one aboard an aircraft carrier deployed in the Pacific.
Last month, a group of Democratic lawmakers called on President Joe Biden to issue a “waiver of informed consent” to make vaccination against Covid-19 mandatory for all members of the U.S. military service, writing in a letter that “vaccine misinformation and skepticism” are influencing service members not to get vaccinated.