Even as infection and hospitalization rates from COVID-19 continue falling in many locations, Pentagon officials say the rise of the delta variant that has spread rapidly since it was first detected could mean new restrictions on military operations and base access.
U.S. military officials are still recovering from COVID-19-related disruptions for much of 2020, which posed a danger of troops in the field and plagued a number of naval missions. Pentagon officials also reported unexpectedly high initial rates of skepticism about getting a vaccine among some servicemen and servicewomen.
In May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said fully vaccinated people no longer needed to wear a mask in most cases. The Department of Defense followed, quickly relaxing its own health protection conditions for military installations. But the delta strain, a highly infectious mutation first noted in India earlier this year, could mean a return to more restrictions in some locations.
“We anticipate that health protection conditions could change at some of our installations in the future, based on outbreaks that result from the high transmissibility of the delta variant,” said Dr. Terry Adirim, the acting assistant defense secretary for health affairs. “It’s spreading rapidly across communities with lower vaccination rates and will likely become the predominant variant in the United States.”
On Wednesday, she said there is “emerging evidence” that the new mutation may cause even more serious diseases. But even mild infections that don’t result in a hospital stay are a threat because of the long-term after-effects.
“The delta variant poses a threat to our service members who are not fully vaccinated,” she told reporters at the Pentagon. “The best way to beat [it] is to be fully vaccinated.”
Pentagon officials say decisions about on-base restrictions are made by local commanders based on conditions in the surrounding communities, such as vaccination and positivity rates and the total numbers of cases.
While not ordering their troops to get the shots — which military officials said was a non-starter because of the experimental nature of the COVID-19 vaccine — the Pentagon has mounted a wide-ranging public relations campaign to convince their personnel that the COVID-19 vaccine works and is safe.
The Navy leads the way with its 77% vaccination rate in the roughly six months since the military first started offering them. The Army follows at 70% while the Air Force and Marine Corps had 61% and 58% rates, respectively, according to Army Lt. Gen. Ronald Place, head of the Defense Health Agency.
The number of patients in military hospitals stricken with COVID-19 has declined. Lt. Gen. Place said 21 people with the virus are currently being cared for on an in-patient basis at military hospitals.
“My current record indicates that none were vaccinated,” he said. “The benefits of vaccination are remarkably clear.”
Pentagon officials are continuing to monitor suspected cases of myocarditis, a heart inflammation that has been linked to the vaccine produced by Moderna. About 30 patients affiliated with the Department of Defense were infected after taking the vaccine.
“The benefits of [the Moderna] vaccination greatly outweigh the potential risks,” Lt. Gen. Place said. “Most cases of myocarditis are generally mild and resolve quickly.”
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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