it looks like the DoD is actually following CDC age/health guidelines and is still in Phase 1 (tier C, 18+ co-morbidities). They expect to move to Phase II (everyone 18+) next month.
Regarding US military and veteransâŠ
CDC COVID Data Tracker says that the DoD has administered about 1.5 million doses (or enough to fully vaccinate half that number of people with two-dose vaccines).
There are about 1.4 million active duty US military service members and about 850k reservists. There are also about 400k in the National Guard. The DoD also employs about 700k civilians.
There are about 19 million US military veterans.
Do the DoD numbers include dependents who they have vaccinated at military hospitals?
Good question. Probably does, if the DoD was administering the vaccine. If so, then the vaccine coverage of actual military service members may be less than a simple comparison of doses (divided by two assuming mostly two-dose vaccines) and the population of military service members might suggest.
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Iâm not sure how the military is handling the rollout. But I do know that I feel that for anyone who is willing to die for and defend our country, should have priority in my eyes.
@milgymfam posted that her husband, on active duty isnât vaccinated and isnât due to be until his age group is. Thatâs my understanding.
I know that there are too many people and too little vaccine. My point was that the VA has vaccine allotted to them, and that you have to be in their system to utilize that perk. I think that it would be a nice gesture to let them (the VA) vaccinate any veteran.
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All active duty at Ft. Gordon, GA (our sonâs post) who have chosen to be vaccinated have had at least their first shots, but our son was on a short-term assignment at Ft. Campbell, KY when his unit got their first shots over a month ago. They put him at the bottom of the list when he returned, so he and two of his friends who were also on that assignment just signed up for appointments at a pharmacy off base. While the vaccines are EUA, the military canât require them, but as soon as they lose EUA status, those who refused this round will be required to have them.
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âToo many people and too little vaccineâ may be the reason why the VA is offering vaccine only to those using VA health care now. It looks like there are about 8 million veterans enrolled in VA health care, out of 19 million total veterans.
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Deb: I personally agree with you, adn I would prioritize the military and first responders (police, fire, EMTs) right after heath care workers. But Iâm not covid czar. And the fact is, that DoD literally has no choice but to follow the guidelines of the CDC. (Unlike Governors who can make other decisions with their stateâs vax allotment.)
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San Diego County set aside 90,000 appointments for teachers when they became eligible. Only about a third have accepted, although additional teachers may have gotten their vaccines through another route. In the meantime, the Del Mar superstation had to shut down a few days for shortages, just like the Petco superstation did.
Actually, DoD vaccine prioritization has some differences specific to the military:
DoD Tier 1b includes those in âCritical National Capabilitiesâ, âPersonnel forward deployed to austere environmentsâ, and âPersonnel preparing to deploy to locations outside the United Statesâ.
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Kansas is moving to phases 3 and 4 on Monday. This includes opening up shots to younger adults with medical risks like asthma and essential workers such as previously unvaccinated Agricultural and food workers,
Workers in critical manufacturing not previously eligible
Utility workers
Social service and government workers not previously eligible
Logistics workers, such as transportation workers and couriers
Water and wastewater workers
Construction workers
Finance workers
Information technology and communications workers
Vets and staff fall under Agricultural workers and my son now has an appointment for his first shot!
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The president decided to tell governors to prioritize the vaccine to teachers. I suspect that the White House or Congress or the head of the DoD could ask the same for the people who are defending our country. Or did in the case of veterans.
I felt very bad when @milgymfam said that her active duty husband didnât have priority for the vaccine. I feel awful for my veteran friend who makes too much money working a job to qualify for VA benefits.
I thought I would let my representatives in Congress know how I feel about it. I emailed my representative and both of my senators to let them know my viewpoint. 
Itâs not even a big gesture, itâs just one I felt compelled to make.
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Unbelievable - over 60,000 doses have been sitting unused for almost 3 weeks, and to make matters worse the county has no idea how many teachers/school staff have actually been vaccinated, since teachers/staff could have used other routes to get the vaccine and since HIIPA prevents principals from asking faculty and staff if theyâve been vaccinated. This situation makes me wonder whether the state-mandated 40% set aside for people in hard hit communities is also resulting in unused doses just sitting there.
Meanwhile, San Diego County quietly â VERY quietly â opened up access as of Monday to a long list of âadditionalâ health conditions, including overweight (BMI over 25), not just to the much shorter state-mandated list of serious health conditions. But unless you are checking the county web site carefully, you wouldnât know that, and the online sign-up system as well as the self-attestation forms make no mention of the additional health conditions. Not sure why the county did this, since supply continues to be an issue, or so they say.
@Marilyn my D is a San Diego teacher that received her vaccine at another place. The reason for this is because she teaches at a charter school and they were not offered the code needed to sign up for the 90K appointments. My D wanted to get her vaccine right away as they will be back with students in mid April. So she found a CVS appointment and received her first Pfizer shot last week and will get her next one on 3/31 so she should be up to full effectiveness before she has kids back in her classroom.
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Just a tip for anyone who might benefit: Iâve heard that in NYC, right now is a very good time to find leftover vaccines at the end of the day. Particularly at Pharmacies and Health and Hospitals sites. They have put a lot of restrictions on exactly who is eligible for a vaccine exactly where, and thatâs created some slack in the system. I know a few people who were vaccinated just this week by lining up in a waitlist line around 5:00ish.
There are also dedicated second dose sites, so thatâs not a problem.
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Yes, the teacher access codes were offered for the first week only to teachers at schools in areas with a low health index, so there were teachers in âhealthyâ areas who went elsewhere for the vaccine that first week. Also, some schools/districts made private arrangements for their staff (e.g. my kidâs private school). But that doesnât explain why the county has been holding onto so many unused appointments for almost 3 weeks.
Glad your D got vaccinated!!
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My brother in NJ is in search for the Pfizer vaccine. He is a multiple Transplant recipient and lives in Bergen County. he does not have time to spend hours a day searching due to his job. His Doctors are located in NYC, but from what I understand only NY residents can get vaccinated in NY, or students who qualify. I am trying to find him an appointment somewhere near to him
Please find the FB group New Jersey Covid Vaccine Info | Facebook
In addition to the wealth of info on how to find an appointment, there are volunteers who will help medically-vulnerable people secure appointments. Seriously, they will have him booked for something in no time.
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thanks . I just joined.
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Those Facebook groups are amazing! NY has several and there are all kinds of hints, tips and helpers.
Everyone 16+ will be eligible in Utah starting on March 24th. Appointments open on the 22nd. Getting ready to help my sister and BIL get vaxxed ASAPđ
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