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 About 91% of active personnel are fully vaccinated and 94% partially
vaccinated as of Wednesday, according to a Marine Corps statement on
Sunday.
Service members are considered fully vaccinated 14 days after
getting a single Johnson & Johnson shot or 14 days after their
second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine -- meaning it is too late
for many to complete the vaccination process by the deadline.
The Navy has the highest vaccination rate at 96.7% of active-duty
personnel fully vaccinated, followed by the Air Force at 96.4%. An
Army spokesperson said 92% of active-duty soldiers were fully
vaccinated. The Army deadline is Dec. 15 for active duty and June 30
for the National Guard.
Army Secretary Christine Wormuth warned on Tuesday that soldiers,
including National Guard members, who refuse to get vaccinated would
not have their service renewed unless they have an approved
exemption, according to a memo seen by Reuters.
Her warnings come as Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, a Republican,
defied the federal mandate and said he would not require National
Guard members in his state to get vaccinated.
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 Other Republicans opposing vaccine mandates
include Senator Ted Cruz who on Saturday
responded to Wormuth's memo by tweeting: "Biden
admin persecuting our soldiers. This is not good
for America."
In addition to the military, the Biden
administration mandated vaccination for most
federal employees, contractors, and health
workers. More recently the White House said it
would require private employers with at least
100 workers to mandate vaccination or weekly
testing, a rule being challenged in court.
Nearly 60% of Americans are fully vaccinated.
(Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by
Raissa Kasolowsky and Lisa Shumaker)
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