For soldiers of the US armed forces, a vaccination against the corona virus should apply by September 15 at the latest. That came out on Monday from a letter from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. If the vaccinations were to get regular approval from the responsible US agency FDA beforehand, the mandatory vaccination could be introduced earlier, said Austin.
More than 1.3 million servicemen and women serve in the US armed forces, of which around 1.05 million are already fully vaccinated, according to data from the Pentagon.
President Joe Biden (78) still has to approve the order – but this is purely a matter of form. Biden immediately stated in a statement that he fully supported Austin’s actions. «These vaccinations will save lives. Period. You are safe. They are effective, ”says Biden. All people in the US should be vaccinated as soon as possible, especially given the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, he added.
Not the only mandatory vaccination
Emergency FDA approval is currently still in force for the corona vaccines. According to US media reports, regular approval for the vaccine from the manufacturers Pfizer and Biontech could be granted in just a few weeks. There are already several mandatory vaccinations for soldiers in the US military – but these are based on regular FDA approvals.
In the United States, half of the population of around 330 million people is fully vaccinated so far. So far, 61 percent of adults have been vaccinated. (SDA)