Among the Marines, 94 percent are now fully vaccinated and 95 percent have had at least one shot. Marines who did not receive a second dose by Nov. 14 are considered unvaccinated and will be processed for administrative separation unless they are awaiting a decision on an exemption request, said Maj. Jim Stenger, a Marine Corps spokesman.
The Coronavirus Pandemic: Latest Updates
- In New York City, the virus is temporarily shutting down some restaurants.
- New York officials announce some Omicron strategies, including at-home tests by mail.
- Pfizer’s antiviral pills can be used in high-risk adults, the E.U. drug regulator says.
The deadlines for National Guard troops are next year.
Five governors asked that their states — Alaska, Wyoming, Iowa, Mississippi and Nebraska — be given an exemption from the requirement. The Pentagon has yet to respond to their letter to Mr. Austin, which was dated Tuesday.
The Coronavirus Pandemic: Key Things to Know
Card 1 of 3A new U.S. surge. The C.D.C said that the Omicron variant’s rapid spread in the U.S. may portend a surge in infections as soon as January, but cases are already spiking, leading offices to cancel holiday parties, Broadway performances to be shuttered and college finals to be moved online.
The Omicron variant. The new Covid variant has been detected in dozens of countries. While Omicron appears to be able to partially evade antibodies, it could be less severe than other forms of the virus, and new laboratory studies indicate that vaccines, and especially boosters, may offer protection against severe disease.
U.S. surpasses 800,000 deaths. Covid deaths in the United States surpassed 800,000 — the highest known number of any country. About 75 percent of the 800,000 deaths have involved people 65 or older. One in 100 older Americans has died from the virus.
“Setting punishment requirements for refusing to be Covid-19 vaccinated, and requiring separation from each state National Guard if unvaccinated are beyond your constitutional and statutory authority,” the governors said.
Last month, the Defense Department rejected an attempt by Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma to exclude the state’s National Guard members from the mandate. The department released a new order this week noting that all Guard members who do not get vaccinated will receive a general order of reprimand, which would essentially end their career.
Federal officials have said that governors have no legal standing to allow Guard members to refuse the vaccine mandate. State officials and some legal experts, however, believe that unless National Guard members are federally deployed, they are under the jurisdiction of the governor of their state and therefore not subject to federal mandates.
The tension between the states and the Pentagon underscores the increasing politicization of vaccine mandates in a part of government — the military — where many other vaccinations are administered with little controversy.
Vaccines are a standard part of the job for those who serve in the military. Beginning with boot camp, troops are required to get inoculated against roughly a dozen diseases.