GUIDANCE ENCOURAGING COVID-19 VACCINE BOOSTER

[Tony]

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.// 
 
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UNCLASSIFIED//

[Tony]

Active Duty, Reserve Sailors Encouraged to Get Boosted

WASHINGTON - Vice Adm. W. R. Merz, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Operations, Plans and Strategy, OPNAV N3/N5, released NAVADMIN 289/21 today, encouraging all Active and Reserve Component Navy personnel to obtain a COVID-19 booster shot.

The new NAVADMIN indicates that while a booster is not currently mandatory, Navy leadership anticipates that it may become so in the future.

“We know the vaccines are effective – they’re protecting our Sailors,” said Merz. “Studies are showing the booster is a critical step in continued protection against COVID-19 and we absolutely encourage everyone to receive it.”

The guidance applies to Active Duty and Reserve Sailors who completed the primary Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine series more than six months ago, or who received a primary dose of the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine more than two months ago. The NAVADMIN further states that individuals may “mix and match” their dosing, allowing Sailors to choose any U.S. authorized COVID-19 vaccine booster that has received either FDA licensure or FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).

Service members can elect to receive the booster from military or commercial health sources, but must provide documentation to their command within five working days if they obtain the shot via commercial means. Before receiving any booster shot, Sailors should review that vaccine’s Fact Sheet for Recipients and Caregivers and contact their Primary Care Manager with any concerns which cannot be addressed by the vaccine provider.

To make an appointment to receive your vaccine, please visit https://tricare.mil/vaccineappointments.                          

The Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Operations, Plans and Strategy (N3/N5) is the principal advisor to the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) on Navy strategies, plans, and policies, including planning and coordinating the global employment of naval forces.