Defense Secretary Austin to announce mandatory vaccination policy for all active-duty military personnel



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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected to announce a mandatory vaccination policy for all active-duty forces of the U.S. military on Friday, Fox News confirmed.

Directive for all 1.3 million military personnel to be vaccinated in arms comes just days after President Biden urged all federal employees to get vaccinated

BIDEN SAYS AMERICANS SHOULD EXPECT MORE COVID RESTRICTIONS

In a speech last week, Biden said he was asking the Defense Department to consider how to make the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory.

The Justice Department has also been asked by the president to review the legality of mandating a vaccine for the military that has yet to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

DOJ officials said a vaccination mandate would require a presidential waiver.

Officials told Fox News that Austin will make his recommendation to the White House tomorrow, and the official announcement is expected to take place on Friday. About 64% of the active service forces are fully vaccinated. Of all American adults, about 70% have received at least one injection.

Last week, Biden said federal employees and on-site contractors would be required to get vaccinated or be subject to regular testing.

The requirement applied to civilian employees of the Defense Ministry, but did not extend to active duty members. The upcoming application to active duty members was first reported by The New York Times.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported an increase of more than 64% in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases over the past seven days – bringing the number of cases to the same level as the figures reported in mid-February.

Biden also warned that the United States could see increased restrictions as the highly contagious delta variant has risen nationwide, although he has not yet detailed those limitations.

CDC director Rochelle Walensky told Fox News on Friday that the administration is exploring the possibility of a vaccination warrant in an effort to boost vaccination rates.

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About 50 percent of the United States is vaccinated and 58 percent have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

The White House confirmed last week that it is not considering another economic shutdown.

Brianna McClelland contributed to this report.

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