In some units, nearly three-quarters of enlistees are turning down the coveted shots- a figure that is alarming commanders given that the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage across the United States.Pictured: Military personnel preparing for the opening of a mass Covid-19 vaccination site in New York last month
* A third of all military personnel are refusing the COVID-19 vaccine
* Some are citing the rushed rollout of the anthrax vaccine in the 1990s as the reason why they do not want to receive the new COVID jab
* In 1997, the military made it mandatory for service personnel to receive the anthrax shot; thousands subsequently complained of debilitating side effects
* A lengthy legal battle ensued, before the courts determined that the FDA hadn't 'adequately studied' how effective the shot was against the inhalation anthrax
* Commanders concede they need to do a better job of messaging and allaying fears among military members that they are being used as 'testers' for the jab
* Other personnel are citing wild conspiracy theories about the vaccine, including one who refused the shot for fear it was implanting a tracking device
A third of all military personnel are refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine, and in some units just 30% of enlistees are willing to have a shot, according to a new report.
The figure is alarming commanders as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage across the United States. Personnel who refuse the vaccine will face no repercussions due to a federal law that 'prohibits the mandatory application of medicines within the military that are not fully licensed by the US Food and Drug Administration', The Nation reports.
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