It\u2019s official: After Congress forced the Defense Department to roll back its controversial order that all troops receive COVID-19 vaccines, the Marine Corps on Wednesday dropped its mandate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCommanders will immediately discontinue administrative separation processing of Marines solely on the grounds that they refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccine,\u201d a Marine administrative message stated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As of Dec. 1, 2022, 96% of both active-duty and reservist Marines were fully vaccinated, according to a COVID-19 update from the Corps<\/a>. But when the vaccines first became available to Marines, in spring 2021, only 61% of them took it<\/a>, according to Pentagon data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And as of December 2022, 3,717 Marines had been separated for refusing the vaccine, according to the update from the Corps.<\/p>\n\n\n\t