Guidance Updates

Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccines for IMAs/PIRR

  • Published
  • By Col. Amy Boehle
As you may have heard already, the DoD has now mandated COVID-19 vaccines for service members.  You can read the entire letter from the Secretary of Defense directing this action HERE.  As an IMA or PIRR, this mandate applies to you, and I’d like to use it as an opportunity to show how amazing our IR force is.  There is not a published timeline when the SECAF is asking for this task to be complete yet, but I’d like to challenge all of you to help reach a goal of 100% vaccinated IRs by 31 December.  What a way to ring in the New Year!
 
If you have already received the COVID-19 vaccine, whether through military or civilian channels, just make sure your vaccine card information (type of vaccine, date(s) of administration, and lot # … just like your yearly flu shot) has been entered into your military medical record.  You can do this through your local MTF or by submitting a copy of it via myPers to the HQ RIO medical team, who will update your records for you.  You can check to see if it’s in your records in MyIMR.  
 
If you have not yet received the COVID-19 vaccine, you need to make arrangements as soon as possible to do so.  You can visit www.vaccines.gov to find the vaccine near you.  COVID-19 vaccines are FREE in the US, regardless of insurance, so cost isn’t an issue.  While at this time only the Pfizer vaccine has full FDA approval, the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will also satisfy the requirement for vaccination and are on track to receive their full FDA approval soon. 
 
You can also get the vaccine at ANY military MTF.  HERE is a memo to use if you run into any issues with an MTF with regards to access as an IMA or PIRR.
 
If you would like to seek an exemption from the vaccination requirement for reasons of religious accommodation, contact the chaplaincy at your active component unit.  If you have a health issue for which vaccination is contraindicated, a DoD physician can include an exemption in your health record. These medical exemptions will only be granted by a medical professional, so you need to work with your active component MTF. 
 
After months of infections and hospitalizations going down, there has been a steep spike in COVID-19 cases due to the rapid spread of the Delta variant. Delta puts us in a much more challenging situation because it is significantly more transmissible, with evidence that it causes more serious disease. Due to the variant’s highly transmissible nature, it is spreading widely among the unvaccinated populations, putting them at great risk. This negatively impacts the readiness of military units and increases demands on military hospitals and clinics.
 
Additionally, the COVID-19 vaccines have proven to be safe and very effective in preventing hospitalizations and deaths. As the military does with other deadly infections, we want to protect our force through the best tool available, vaccination.  Required vaccination to protect the force is routine for DoD, including annual influenza vaccination. The DoD currently requires at least 9 vaccines for individuals entering military service and up to 17 vaccines depending on your role and geographic region. 
 
This boils down to a readiness issue. We protect our nation from great threats and we must protect ourselves as much as possible from COVID-19.  The vaccines have been proven safe, are free, and usually easy to access.  Let’s get this done and show the world how incredible our IRs are!
 
As always, thank you for ALL that you do.
 
 
v/r,
 
Col Amy Boehle
HQ RIO Commander