SAN DIEGO — Since the COVID vaccine is under Emergency Use Authorization, the military cannot require service members to get vaccinated. However, the commander at Naval Medical Center San Diego and hospital in Camp Pendleton says it has a high rate of sailors getting shots in their arms.
The worst outbreak within the U.S. Navy came from San Diego-based U.S.S. Roosevelt last year.
The Department of Defense reports 57,391 COVID cases have infected the U.S. Navy. The DOD does not release local COVID numbers.
“We are in a battle,” said Rear Admiral Tim Weber, Commander for Naval Medical Forces Pacific.
He says to fight that battle is with the COVID vaccines.
“Vaccines are safe and effective. And they are, if you think about it, our best biological body armor to fight against the war on covid-19,” said Weber.
The Naval Medical Forces Pacific Commander oversees 10 hospitals on the West Coast including Naval Medical Center San Diego and Naval Hospital at Camp Pendleton.
The Navy receives 28 percent of the DOD’s allocation from the CDC. Weber says since December 90,000 doses have been administered locally.
“We have administered nearly or anywhere between 95 and 100 percent of the vaccines that we have received,” said Weber.
The number of those who decline is not available since the DOD does not track declinations, but Weber says the DOD will start building that out in a few months. Weber also says they don’t offer incentives to get the vaccine.
“The vaccine is voluntary and incentivizing it would presume that it's punitive if not taken,” said Weber.
The DOD has moved from vaccinating health care workers to Tier 1B which includes service members scheduled for deployment outside of the U.S. and beneficiaries 75 and older.
“I think our high on any given day, is between 4,000 or 4,500 when there were units lined up to meet priority requirements,” said Weber. "It's just a matter of scale and speed and supply. But I think overall it's going very smoothly."
To reach more sailors, medical personnel such as EMS are being trained to administer the vaccine and expand vaccination sites on ships.
San Diego-based U.S.S. Essex is the first on the waterfront on the West Coast.
“I kind of feel like a guinea pig but I think it's a good thing that we are the first people to do it. Kind of makes us shine,” said HM3 Alyson Wallace, U.S.S. Essex sailor.
Commander Weber says the vaccine is critical in keeping our service members healthy on the frontlines.
“We have our medical personnel who are responding to the call of our country, ensuring our war fighters are healthy, safe on the job,” said Weber.
Naval Medical Center San Diego and Naval Hospital at Camp Pendleton treats 350,000 active duty, their families and retirees.
The DOD hopes to have full vaccinations by the summer.
