UNCLASSIFIED// ROUTINE R 221712Z DEC 21 MID200001346611U FM CNO WASHINGTON DC TO NAVADMIN INFO SECNAV WASHINGTON DC CNO WASHINGTON DC BT UNCLAS NAVADMIN 289/21 MSGID/NAVADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/CNO/DEC// SUBJ/GUIDANCE ENCOURAGING COVID-19 VACCINE BOOSTER// REF/A/MEMO/USD PR/17DEC21// REF/B/MSG/CNO/311913ZAUG21// REF/C/MSG/SECNAV/302126ZAUG21// REF/D/MEMO/SECDEF/24AUG21// REF/E/MSG/CNO/021344ZJUN21// REF/F/MEMO/USD PR/15NOV21// REF/G/MEMO/ASN MRA/05NOV21// NARR/REF A IS UNDERSECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR PERSONNEL AND READINESS MEMO GUIDANCE ON ELIGIBILITY FOR A CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 VACCINE BOOSTER DOSE. REF B IS NAVADMIN 190/21, 2021-2022 NAVY MANDATORY COVID-19 VACCINATION AND REPORTING POLICY. REF C IS ALNAV 062/21, 2021-2022 DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY MANDATORY COVID-19 VACCINATION POLICY. REF D IS SECDEF MEMO MANDATING CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 VACCINATION FOR DOD SERVICE MEMBERS. REF E IS NAVADMIN 110/21, U.S. NAVY COVID-19 STANDING GUIDANCE UPDATE 1. REF F IS UNDERSECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR PERSONNEL AND READINESS MEMO FORCE HEALTH PROTECTION GUIDANCE (SUPPLEMENT 23) REVISION 2. REF G IS ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE NAVY FOR MANPOWER AND RESERVE AFFAIRS MEMO, MANDATORY CORONAVIRUS 2019 VACCINATION OF DEPARTMENT OF NAVY CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES. POC/OPNAV/CAPT STEVEN TARR III, (703) 614-9250//EMAIL: STEVEN.TARR1.MIL (AT)US.NAVY.MIL RMKS/ 1. Purpose. This NAVADMIN provides guidance for Active and Reserve Component uniformed Navy personnel. Reference (a) recommends vaccine boosters for Service members, DoD civilian employees, eligible DoD beneficiaries, and select contractor personnel. If needed, specific guidance beyond reference (a) for non-uniformed Navy personnel will be released separately. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved vaccine regimens have proven to be safe and effective in preventing serious illness or death. Ongoing studies, however, have revealed that vaccination immunity decreases over time and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a vaccine booster for everyone age 16 and older. 2. Applicability. This guidance applies to Active and Reserve Component uniformed Navy personnel who completed the primary Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine series (i.e., received the second dose of the vaccine) more than 6 months ago, or who received a primary dose of the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine more than 2 months ago. Although this NAVADMIN specifically applies to uniformed Navy personnel, all personnel over the age of 16, including government civilians, are encouraged to obtain a vaccine booster. 3. Policy Guidance. Although not mandatory, the COVID-19 vaccine booster is strongly recommended. Because all studies are converging on the need for a vaccine booster to ensure enduring protection, it is essentially becoming the next-shot in a series and will likely become mandatory in the near future. With the evolution of additional COVID-19 variants, e.g., Omicron, this NAVADMIN encourages exercising prudence to ensure continued protection. 3.a. Conditions to be fully vaccinated. The vaccine booster is a time-based reinforcement of the initial vaccine in order to prevent decreasing immunity. The vaccine booster is not currently a requirement to be fully vaccinated per references (a) through (f). Individuals are still considered fully vaccinated 2-weeks after receiving the second dose in a two-dose initial vaccine series (e.g., Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty, Moderna vaccines), 2-weeks after receiving a single-dose vaccine (e.g., Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine), or having received a World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Use Listing (EUL) initial vaccine series. 3.b. Specific categories. Under CDC guidance, the below three categories may ONLY receive a Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine booster. 3.b.1. Individuals who have completed a primary vaccination series while enrolled in an Institutional Review Board (IRB), FDA, National Institutes of Health (NIH), or WHO clinical vaccine trial. 3.b.2 Individuals who are fully vaccinated with a WHO EUL vaccine. 3.b.3. Individuals age 16 or 17 who have completed the primary Pfizer- BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine series. 3.c. CDC-supported booster vaccines. With the exception of paragraph 3.b above, CDC guidance allows individuals to choose any COVID-19 vaccine booster that has received either FDA licensure or Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). The CDC allows mix and match dosing (i.e., taking different COVID-19 vaccines), taking into consideration an individuals preference, previous side effects, and vaccine availability. The CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has stated a clinical preference for mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer/Moderna) over non-Mrna (Johnson & Johnson/Janssen). Before receiving any booster shot, service members should review that vaccines Fact Sheet for Recipients and Caregivers and contact their Primary Care Manager with any questions or concerns. 3.d. Active and Reserve Component members may elect to receive a vaccine booster from either a military or non-military vaccine site. To ensure Medical Readiness Reporting System (MRRS) accuracy, service members who receive the vaccine booster from a non-military site must provide their immunization data to their command as soon as practicable, but not to exceed five working days. The government website https://www.vaccines.gov/ lists locations as well as available appointments for COVID-19 booster shots throughout the country. 3.e. International travel. A growing number of host countries now have varying degrees of restrictions if more than six months have elapsed since receiving the initial COVID-19 vaccine. Accordingly, a vaccine booster will likely be needed to travel to, or avoid liberty restrictions in, these countries. Nothing in this NAVADMIN supersedes existing national, state, or local restrictions and requirements. 4. Responsibilities. Commanders, Commanding Officers, and Officers in Charge will ensure this NAVADMIN is widely disseminated throughout all commands. 5. Released by VADM W. R. Merz, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Operations, Plans and Strategy, OPNAV N3/N5.// BT #0001 NNNN UNCLASSIFIED//