Almost half of US Marines have declined Covid vaccine, data shows
Around 40 per cent of US Marines have chosen not to receive a Covid-19 vaccination, according to new data.
Data provided by the service shows that as of last week, 75,500 Marines have received a vaccination, while 48,000 have declined the jab.
The declination rate at the Camp Lejeune facility in North Carolina was even higher, at 57 per cent.
At the camp, of the 26,400 Marines who were offered vaccines, more than 15,000 chose not to receive them.
“We fully understand that widespread acceptance of the Covid-19 vaccine provides us with the best means to defeat the pandemic. The key to addressing the pandemic is building vaccine confidence,” Marine Corps spokeswoman Col. Kelly Frushour told CNN in a statement.
Frushour said there are several potential reasons why Marines are choosing not to have the jab, such as allowing others to receive it first or waiting until it becomes mandatory.
“Service members who decline one day can change their mind and become vaccinated when next the opportunity presents itself,” she said.
Officials say most of the vaccine hesitancy comes from concerns about the speed at which they were developed and fears over long-term effects.
Last month, a group of Democratic lawmakers called on Joe Biden to issue a “wavier of informed consent” to make vaccinations mandatory for US military service members.