By Oren Liebermann, Ellie Kaufman and Devan Cole | CNN
Nearly 40 percent of U.S. Marines drop vaccinations against Covid-19, according to data provided Friday by CNN, the first branch to reveal the number of services on acceptance and decline.
As of Thursday, about 75,500 sailors have received vaccines, including fully vaccinated and partially vaccinated men and women on duty. About 48,000 sailors chose not to receive vaccines, for a decline rate of 38.9%.
CNN contacted other services for acceptance and decline rates.
The appropriate acceptance rate for vaccinations among Marines – 61.1% – is not far from the military estimate of two-thirds, or about 66%.
Another 102,000 Marines have not yet received the vaccines. The total number of marines includes active services, reserves and individual mobilization of Augmentee Marines.
The rate of decline at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, one of the Marine Corps’ prominent bases, was much higher at 57 percent, according to another dataset provided to CNN. Of the 26,400 Marines who were offered vaccinations, 15,100 chose not to receive them, a number that includes both the II Marine Expeditionary Force and the Eastern Navy Corps Installation – Lejeune Camp. Another 11,500 active sailors are scheduled to be offered the vaccines.
“We fully understand that widespread acceptance of the Covid-19 vaccine gives us the best means to overcome the pandemic. The key to tackling the pandemic is to strengthen confidence in vaccines, “Navy Corps spokeswoman Colonel Kelly Frushour told CNN in a statement.
Frushour said there are a number of potential reasons why a sailor may choose not to receive a vaccine, including allowing others to receive it first, wait until it becomes mandatory, receive it through other channels, or be allergic to the vaccine. .
“Service members who refuse one day can change their minds and get vaccinated when the opportunity arises,” she said.
CNN reported last month that the vaccination rejection rate among service members could be close to 50%, a notably higher number than the 33% figures publicly used by defense officials.
The military cannot make vaccines mandatory now because they only have emergency use permits from the Food and Drug Administration, which means that service members who are required to receive a series of other vaccinations have the option to refuse shots to protect themselves against Covid-19.
Officials say most of the vaccine’s hesitation stems from concerns about the speed with which vaccines have been developed and fears about long-term effects.
The Department of Defense has approximately 2.2 million members of the service operating worldwide. For every 10 percentage point decrease in the acceptance rate, ie 220,000 people who choose not to receive vaccines, a potentially large enough number to affect the training of the force. 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 “misinformation and skepticism vaccine ”are influencing service members to give up vaccination.