Marines on track to get the worst U.S. military vaccination record – Washington Post By Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Marine Corps will have the worst vaccine record among military branches, with 10,000 active-duty personnel meeting the Nov. 28 deadline, the Washington Post reported Sunday.

At least 94% of sailors have already met or are on track for President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine, but for those 10,000 it is too late to begin and complete the vaccination process.

The Marines could not be immediately put to comment.

The Marine Corps, which is the least populated branch of the U.S. Army, is overseen by the U.S. Department of the Navy, which also directs the U.S. Army and Coast Guard. The Army has the highest vaccination rate within the military; 99.7%.

97% of active personnel in the U.S. Air Force and Space Force, which oversees the U.S. Air Force and Space Force, received the vaccine by November 3 by the department.

About 95% or Army personnel have received at least one dose of the vaccine. The branch is the largest within the military and has the last term for active personnel; December 15.

Biden announced in September that most federal workers, contractors and health care workers would need to be vaccinated and that employees in large private companies would need to be vaccinated or tested as the Delta variant of the virus is more easily transmitted. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that COVID-19 has so far killed more than 770,000 people in the United States.

Nearly 60 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated, but after about two months of declining infections, the U.S. has reported daily increases over the past two weeks, driven by people who spend more time indoors due to deltas and cold weather.

(This story was corrected in the last paragraph to say that 60% of Americans are completely vaccinated)