The Biden administration next month will mandate that all active-duty military personnel be vaccinated against the coronavirus. This commonsense imperative is nothing new — troops are already mandated for vaccination against 17 diseases — but it is nonetheless controversial among those who have turned anti-vaccination hokum into a culture war sacrament.
It should go without saying that full vaccination of the armed forces against any dangerous virus is crucial to America’s security. The tiny ledge that critics have to stand on is the fact that the Food and Drug Administration so far has granted only emergency-use approval for the coronavirus vaccines. Full, formal approval, long overdue, could come soon, and that should end this ridiculous debate once and for all.
It was, of all ironies, former President Donald Trump whose administration oversaw the record-speed development of coronavirus vaccines last year — arguably Trump’s only instance of success in handling the pandemic, but a huge one. It’s an enduring mystery why more Republican leaders haven’t embraced the strategy of Trump’s former press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who has encouraged conservatives to get the shot by dubbing it the “Trump vaccine.” Alas, too many GOP politicians appear content to instead follow their base down the anti-vax rabbit hole, which has resulted in the tragic coronavirus resurgence around the country, especially in red state regions.
Adding coronavirus vaccines to the list of currently mandated treatments for active-duty military would go a long way toward helping normalize it, which is a big part of the battle. Most of the reluctance to accepting the new vaccines comes from those who don’t show any such hesitancy for vaccines against measles and other diseases that are already a routine part of American life and are even mandated for school children. Coronavirus vaccination should join that lineup.
Vaccine-hesitant people often cite the fact that the new vaccines were approved under an emergency-use process. The approval process had to be accelerated due to the deadly spread of the virus, but the vaccines have been in wide use since December — more than the six months generally needed for full approval — with no significant reports of adverse effects. Right-wing circus barkers who have falsely claimed otherwise, like Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, have blood on their hands.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says he will seek a waiver from a federal law to allow the military vaccine mandate if full Food and Drug Administration approval doesn’t come before mid-September. For the sake of putting the argument to rest, full approval would be preferable. That is expected to happen within weeks. At that point, any debate about the validity of a military vaccination mandate should be over. As should the already-strained patience of the responsible majority of Americans who have been vaccinated, toward the irresponsible minority who continue to endanger everyone.
