The Air Force discharged 27 people for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine, the air service branch’s spokeswoman confirmed.
The 27 are the first airmen to be administratively discharged for reasons related to the COVID-19 vaccine, Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said on Monday, reported The Associated Press
The Air Force announced on Sept. 3 that all active-duty service members must be fully vaccinated by Nov. 2. Meanwhile, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve personnel had until Dec. 2. Thousands have either refused or sought an exemption, reported the news agency.
Stefanek said all 27 were in their first term of enlistment and were younger and lower-ranking personnel. None of them sought any type of exemption, whether administrative, medical, or religious, and they were thus formally removed from service for having failed to obey an order, she said.
It is also possible that some had other infractions on their records, she noted.