![The 15th Medical Group hosts the first COVID-19 mass vaccination at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Feb. 9, 2021.](https://cdn.defenseone.com/media/img/cd/2021/12/22/vaccine/860x394.jpg?1640195354)
The 15th Medical Group hosts the first COVID-19 mass vaccination at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Feb. 9, 2021. U.S. Air Force / Tech. Sgt. Anthony Nelson Jr.
2021 Top Ten: COVID
Vaccines arrived, but so did vaccine refusal and new variants. And a two-year Army effort may produce the best vaccine yet.
US Army Creates Single Vaccine Against All COVID & SARS Variants, Researchers Say // Tara Copp: Within weeks, Walter Reed researchers expect to announce that human trials show success against Omicron—and even future strains.
800,000 Deaths // Clint Smith: The number is so enormous that we risk becoming numb to its implications.
Army Commanders Relieved Over Vaccine Refusal // Elizabeth Howe: Battalion COs among the six soldiers removed from their jobs as service deadline passes.
State Guards’ Vaccine Refusal Sets Up Fight with Feds // Tara Copp: Six governors are rejecting the Pentagon’s order to inoculate their troops against COVID. Is a lawsuit next?
The Future of COVID // Sara Sawyer: Why some viruses become endemic, and how they can be stopped.
When George Washington Ordered His Troops to Get Vaccinated // Maurizio Valsania: Washington and his fellow Founding Fathers agreed on one thing: circumstances often require public officials to pass acts that abridge individual freedoms.
We ‘Blew It’ On Battling COVID Disinfo, Say Army's Pandemic Response Leaders // Elizabeth Howe: The U.S. Army scrutinized its response to the pandemic, and found fault with its strategic communications efforts.
Catholic Troops Can Refuse COVID Vaccine, Archbishop Declares // Elizabeth Howe: “No one should be forced to receive a COVID-19 vaccine if it would violate the sanctity of his or her conscience,” Broglio wrote.
America Should Help Iran Get COVID Vaccines // Sina Toossi: There are at least two national-security reasons Biden should seize this opportunity.
We’re Already Barreling Toward the Next Pandemic // Ed Yong: This one is far from over, but the window to prepare for future threats is closing fast.
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