Photo By Petty Officer 3rd Class Cody Anderson | 210204-N-MW275-1018 MILLINGTON, Tn. (Feb. 4, 2021) Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class...... read more read more
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MILLINGTON, Tenn. -- As the Navy continues its phased distribution of the COVID-19 vaccination, Navy Recruiting Command (NRC) personnel are volunteering to be some of the first to receive the vaccine in the recruiting field. Since Jan. 4, more than 30 people assigned to NRC headquarters have received their first round of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Navy is first offering the vaccine to essential healthcare workers, providers, emergency services and public safety personnel. The next phase includes mission-critical personnel by the command, followed by service members who are preparing to deploy within the next three months. After these personnel receive their vaccines, less critical service members and their beneficiaries will be able to volunteer to receive the vaccination. The Department of Defense (DoD) does not currently require service members to receive the vaccine; however, many Sailors have volunteered in an effort to reduce the spread of the virus.
Command Master Chief Daniel Tschida, the COVID deputy at CNRC, who has been in charge of coordinating volunteers to receive their vaccine said service members have stepped up to receive the vaccination for a multitude of reasons.
“For the majority, it really stems from wanting to be part of society again and helping to prevent others from getting sick. It’s just them doing their part to help recover from this global pandemic,” said Tschida. “Others have more personal reasons, members of the command who have family and children who would be greatly affected by being infected with COVID. Some have children with underlying health conditions while others live with their 75 year old plus parents, who if they were to get it might struggle to survive.”
Capt. Steven Milkinovich, NRC’s chief of staff, is aware of skepticism regarding the vaccine, though he views it as a simple cost-benefit analysis.
“We read about the side effects of actually getting the virus, and we also read the side effects of taking the vaccine,” said Milkinovich. “The side effects of getting the virus are generally and widely reported as being worse and more frequent than the side effects of the vaccine.”
Milkinovich said he believes that being infected with COVID-19 is not a matter of if, but when. His thought process is not without precedence. As of Jan. 27, more than 25 million Americans have already been diagnosed with COVID-19. Of those infected, more than 425,000 people have died from the disease. Instances are on the rise with the US reporting its greatest number of single day cases on Jan. 8, with more than 300,000 new cases.
Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, Rear Adm. Dennis Velez, who received his first round of the COVID-19 vaccine, stresses the importance of his fellow service members stepping up and volunteering to receive the vaccine when it is available.
“Getting the vaccine is a safe, selfless act that helps protect not only ourselves but our families, our communities and our nation,” said Velez.
“This is a simple way to put this behind us and stay healthy so we can continue our critical mission of manning the fleet.”
There are currently two vaccines circulating throughout the United States. Both were developed with the support of Operation Warp Speed, a multibillion-dollar program that was greenlit by the U.S. government to accelerate the creation and production of the COVID-19 vaccine. Through this program, Pfizer and Moderna developed two separate vaccines which both require two doses of the product, given in an interval of 21 or 28 days, respectively, to provide full immunity for an individual. However, the products are not interchangeable, meaning you must receive both rounds from the same manufacturer to gain immunity.
The vaccines have received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in order to more quickly resolve the current public health crisis. An EUA is authorized by the government during public health crises when there is sufficient evidence to believe that a product is safe and is likely to treat or prevent disease. This EUA was only authorized after the FDA rigorously tested the vaccines for safety and efficacy during each vaccines’ respective trials. The DoD is confident that the work done by the FDA ensures the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines.
Navy Recruiting Command consists of a command headquarters, three Navy Recruiting Regions, 26 NTAGs and 64 Talent Acquisition Onboarding Centers (TAOCs) that serve more than 1,000 recruiting stations around the world. Their mission is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.
For more information on the Navy’s COVID-19 vaccine guidance, go to https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/Article/2449063/us-navy-issues-vaccine-guidance-to-combat-covid-19/
For updated information about the COVID-19 Vaccine, go to the Centers for Disease Control site at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/index.html?linkId=100000029656734&linkId=100000029657139
For more news from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, go to http://www.cnrc.navy.mil. Follow Navy Recruiting on Facebook (www.facebook.com/MyNAVYHR), Twitter (@USNRecruiter) and Instagram (@USNRecruiter).
| Date Taken: | 02.04.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 02.04.2021 16:29 |
| Story ID: | 388391 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 493 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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