© Provided by Washington Examiner As military members continue to reject the COVID-19 vaccine, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin released a video stressing the vaccine's safety while the Defense Department promotes "informed decision-making."
"You'll see that these vaccines have undergone intensive safety monitoring," Austin tells service members in the video after urging them to read the CDC and Defense.gov websites.
"You'll see that they are safe and they are effective. And you'll see that millions of your fellow citizens have already taken them with little to no side effects," he continued.
The department has grappled with undisclosed thousands of service members refusing to take the vaccine, from nuclear operators to deployed soldiers in war zones.
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The Pentagon, meanwhile, claims it does not keep track of the refusal rate, and it cannot require a vaccine with FDA emergency authorization, not a final approval, be given.
As of Tuesday, the Pentagon had administered more than 1 million coronavirus vaccine doses to service members, some 685,000 first doses and 338,000 second doses.
The Department of Defense has more than 3 million in its ranks, including civilians and contractors, with some 1.3 million active-duty service members.
Recently, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told the Washington Examiner that Austin was concerned by the high refusal rate. The video is the secretary's most public advocacy effort on behalf of vaccination.
Across the armed forces, more than 245,000 individuals have been sickened by COVID-19, with 160,000 of them active-duty service members. About 1,400 active-duty members remain hospitalized, and 24 have died.
The service most affected by the coronavirus remains the Army, with some 55,000 cases.
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In the video, Austin encourages those who are vaccinated, like himself, to continue practicing social distancing and wear a mask.
"We'll need your continued support in that regard," he said. "But I encourage you to have a discussion with your primary care physician about taking the vaccine. And if you believe, as I did, that it's the right thing for you, I hope that you'll consider accepting it when it's offered to you."
Tags: News, National Security, Department of Defense, Pentagon, Coronavirus, Lloyd Austin, U.S. Army
Original Author: Abraham Mahshie
Original Location: Austin urges military to take COVID-19 vaccine as refusals persist