U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) have sent a letter to Max Rose, the senior COVID-19 advisor to the Secretary of Defense, to urge the department to take a more concerted effort to encouraging vaccine acceptance in America’s defense communities.

“As you plan your ongoing COVID-19 vaccination outreach, we urge you to make sure there is specific focus on encouraging vaccinations among military families as well as the broader communities our military calls home. It will provide a foundation for returning our military to full readiness,” wrote the senators in the letter.

While a recent Gallup poll showed 58% of Americans would agree to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, a recent survey of military families conducted by Blue Star Families shows a much lower rate – around 33%. The Blue Star Families survey found that the top two factors influencing a respondent’s willingness to take a vaccine were distrust of the vaccine development process timeline and concerns about vaccine safety.

In the letter, Peters and Moran encouraged Rose to reach out to the Association of Defense Communities as a helpful resource to connect with the military family community.

“Reaching CDC-recommended vaccination rates in these communities will ensure our installations regain mission readiness and local job opportunities for spouses. It will mean our military families can regain their readiness, our military impacted schools can open, and economic vitality can return,” Peters and Moran wrote.

Photo by Maj. Scott Ingalsbe