Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass, after getting bombarded with pleas for help from military community members fighting the German government’s attempts to tax their pay, said Wednesday she will advocate for the affected airmen and their families.
COVID-19 vaccine boosters are still hard to come by for many in U.S. military communities in Europe despite a record surge of coronavirus cases in Germany and other European countries that host American troops.
People who are age 65 and older, adults with underlying medical conditions and those who work or live in high-risk settings, including day care centers or schools, are immediately eligible for the booster shots at various Army, Air Force and Navy clinics in Europe, officials said.
Nearly 25% of Defense Department school system employees have yet to be inoculated against COVID-19 or provide proof of full vaccination, leaving schools facing potential staffing shortfalls as the vaccination deadline for all DOD civilians approaches this month.
A panel of independent advisers to the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday endorsed the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for younger kids. It concluded that the shot is safe and 90.7% effective in preventing symptomatic coronavirus infections.