12,000 Air Force Personnel, Including Elite Pilots, Have Rejected Vax Order As Tuesday Deadline Looms

The deadline is looming for US Air Force personnel to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and many thousands are still refusing, according to the latest reports. For many at this point, it's also too late to receive both jabs by the next Tuesday, Nov. 2 deadline. Other branches like the Navy have deadlines coming later in November, but the Air Force will be the first test case as it set the earliest deadline. The Washington Post is now at the end of the week reporting that up to 12,000 Air Force personnel are still declining the vaccine, causing alarm within the top chain of command who are worried it will impact force readiness, particularly as some forces in key positions face discharge over their vax refusal. "The fact that it’s a choice leading to potential loss to readiness is striking," a military policy analyst with the Center for a New American Security Katherine L. Kuzminski, told the Post.