Armed Forces News

New London, CT - April 2021: Connecticut Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Sara Landon prepares COVID-19 vaccine doses in Morton Hall Gymnasium at Naval Submarine Base (SUBASE) New London. (Navy photo by MCS 2nd Class Tristan B. Lotz)

All service members and beneficiaries 16 or older now can receive vaccinations for Covid-19 at military treatment facilities. The Moderna vaccine is available for those ages 18 and up, while minors as young as 16 can receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Appointments are required. To make one, visit https://www.tricare.mil/vaccineappointments and follow the links.

Administration of specific vaccines will depend on availability. Both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are administered in two separate doses, usually three weeks apart.

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recently suspended the use of the Johnson and Johnson single-dose vaccine, amid reports of extremely rare but potentially life-threatening incidents of severe blood clotting, although the EU has resumed its use with a warning of the very rare side effect.

TRICARE’s Nurse Advice Line at (800) TRICARE, option 1, can answer questions about the vaccination process.