Source: United States Forces Korea / Getty Images
Source: United States Forces Korea / Getty Images
About a third of US troops given a Covid-19 vaccine refused to inoculate, according to initial Pentagon data. The choice still allows staff to take place.
Pentagon officials told a House committee on Wednesday that vaccination is still voluntary for members of the service because the vaccines were developed by Pfizer Inc. and To date, Moderna Inc. is approved by the Food and Drug Administration in case of emergency. This would change with full FDA approval, as many other vaccinations are mandatory for troops.
Early data show that nearly one million people in the Department of Defense received a combination of one or both doses of the vaccine, Major General Jeffrey Taliaferro, deputy director of operations for chiefs of staff, told the House Armed Services Committee .
Only 147,000 have been completely vaccinated, according to Robert Salesses, a Pentagon official who serves as deputy secretary of defense for homeland defense and global security.
Pentagon officials say they plan to inoculate most troops for Covid-19 by the end of August.
– With the assistance of Travis J Tritten