It has been urged that obligatory immunization of army personnel be stopped as a result of the immunity conferred by coronavirus vaccines just isn’t long-lasting [“It’s time the Pentagon ended its coronavirus vaccine mandate for the military,” Leana S. Wen, op-ed, Dec. 11]. We now have already skilled two cases by which naval vessels have been made inoperable by outbreaks of covid-19 infections amongst their crews. Previously, when single doses didn’t forestall outbreaks of measles or chickenpox, we didn’t cease immunizing with these vaccines. We added a second dose.
To take care of fight readiness, it’s needed to accommodate personnel in crowded situations, whether or not on land or sea, the place this very contagious virus is instantly transmitted. Slightly than stopping vaccination of army personnel with coronavirus vaccines, fight readiness may be maintained solely by efforts to scale back transmission by giving extra doses of those vaccines.
Philip Al Brunell, Chevy Chase
The author is a former member of the Committee on Infectious Ailments and a member of the Infectious Ailments Society of America.
