Pentagon makes Pfizer vaccine mandatory after FDA approval – memo

WASHINGTON, Aug.25 (Reuters) – The Pentagon on Wednesday ordered all active duty members to be vaccinated with the Pfizer / BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine days after the Food and Drug Administration gave it full approval.

In a note viewed by Reuters, the Pentagon ordered the military to start the process immediately, but did not give a specific timeline for its completion.

Earlier in the week, he announced that such a decision would be forthcoming.

The US military has said about half of the US military are already fully vaccinated, a number that increases dramatically by counting only active-duty troops and excluding members of the National Guard and Reserve.

Vaccination rates are highest in the Navy, which suffered from a high-profile outbreak last year aboard an aircraft carrier.

Since the U.S. military is generally younger and in better physical shape, relatively few have died from COVID-19.

The Pfizer vaccine became the first COVID-19 vaccine to be fully approved by the FDA.

The FDA, which granted emergency use clearance for the two-dose vaccine in December, has given full approval for use in people 16 years of age and older based on updated trial data. clinical and manufacturing review companies.

Skepticism about vaccines is entrenched among some Americans, especially conservatives. Cases of COVID-19, driven by the highly infectious Delta variant, have increased in parts of the United States with lower vaccination levels.

Reporting by Idrees Ali, editing by Mark Porter

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