About a third of U.S. troops opted out of the vaccine, defense officials testified last month, using preliminary data. That process — soldiers with initial skepticism absorbing confidence from superiors who got the vaccine first — has been replicated elsewhere, said Col. Joe Buccino, a Fort Bragg spokesperson. Fort Bragg gathers data on whether soldiers accept the vaccine at the unit level, but some bases don’t, the official said. Army officials at the Pentagon don’t collect data by installation because the vaccine isn’t mandatory, said Maj. Jacqueline Wren, an Army spokesperson. ADAbout 620,000 people within the Defense Department have been fully vaccinated, according to Pentagon data, which includes service members, civilian workers, retirees and family members.

Source: Washington Post March 19, 2021 11:04 UTC