More Sailors Discharged for Refusing COVID-19 Vaccine, Bringing Total to 45: Navy

A Navy member receives a COVID-19 vaccine at the McCormick Gym onboard Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Va., on April 8, 2021. Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jackson Adkins/U.S. Navy

The U.S. Navy announced Wednesday that over 40 service members have been discharged from the force for refusing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, including 23 active-duty sailors.

Members of the Navy had until Nov. 28, 2021, to be fully vaccinated against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, while Ready Reserve Navy service members had until Dec. 28, 2021, after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued a memorandum in August stipulating that all military members get the shots.