Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said he was informed by some members of the U.S. military that they would quit if the armed forces mandated a COVID-19 vaccine, coming after a report claimed that Army headquarters told commanders to prepare for mandatory vaccinations in September.
“I’ve been contacted by members of our voluntary military who say they will quit if the COVID vaccine is mandated. I introduced HR 3860 to prohibit any mandatory requirement that a member of the Armed Forces receive a vaccination against COVID-19. It now has 24 sponsors,” Massie wrote on Twitter.
I’ve been contacted by members of our voluntary military who say they will quit if the COVID vaccine is mandated.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) July 3, 2021
I introduced HR 3860 to prohibit any mandatory requirement that a member of the Armed Forces receive a vaccination against COVID-19.
It now has 24 sponsors. https://t.co/lbqYESmBYy
It isn’t clear how the service members could quit or how many would try to do so. Once a member reports to their first duty station, they are obligated to stay within the service of the armed forces. If a service member leaves without approval, they can be declared AWOL, or absent without leave.
The Republican lawmaker was referring to a report published by the Army Times over the weekend that detailed an executive order sent by the Department of the Army Headquarters that commands should be prepared to administer COVID-19 vaccines starting as early as Sept. 1. The date is contingent on when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issues its full approval of the vaccines.
“Commanders will continue COVID-19 vaccination operations and prepare for a directive to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for service members [on or around] 01 September 2021, pending full FDA licensure.
Commands will be prepared to provide a backbrief on servicemember vaccination status and way ahead for completion once the vaccine is mandated,” the directive reads.
As reported by GreatGameIndia earlier, according to a Pentagon report almost 75% of US troops refused taking the COVID-19 vaccine. Addressing the allegation of a cover-up, the spokesperson for the agency, John Kirby informed the news outlets about the reason for the lack of exact data.
According to a survey more than half of Americans do not want COVID-19 vaccine.
The study has also looked into the concerns among people reluctant to receive the jabs, with 68 per cent of people saying they are worried about the long term effects of the vaccines.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has added a warning to patient and provider fact sheets for the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines to indicate risk of heart inflammation.
Norway at the sametime has announced that you are at a greater risk of dying from AstraZeneca vaccine branded as Covishield in India than from COVID-19.
While waiting for the final decision on the controversial vaccine, Norway has meanwhile decided to offload its stock of AstraZeneca to fellow Nordic countries that actually want to use them despite the associated risks.
In India, the Indian Air Force has been served a show cause notice by the Gujarat High Court for forcing to dismiss an officer after he refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine stating that he was using ayurvedic medicines suggested by the AYUSH ministry to increase his immunity against COVID-19.
The officer who challenged his termination in the Gujarat High Court has succeeded in getting a stay from the court.
