Army issues mandatory virus vaccine schedule — active-duty soldiers by Dec. 15, Reserve and Guard...

Army officials on Tuesday issued the service’s plan for mandating soldiers receive the coronavirus vaccine, with active-duty troops required to get the shots by mid-December and other troops by the end of June.

Soldiers who refuse coronavirus vaccines will be issued reprimands that “can be career-ending,” according to the Army.

The guidance from service leaders lays out the process for how the Army will handle soldiers leery of the coronavirus vaccine, which Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Aug. 24 made mandatory for service members.

The day before, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the two-shot Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which had been under emergency use authorization only.

Active-duty soldiers have until Dec. 15 to become fully vaccinated, and Reserve and National Guard units have until June 30, 2022, the Army said. A soldier is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving his or her second shot.