COVID-19

The Pentagon said unvaccinated guardsmen won't get paid and can't participate in federally-funded deployments, but some states are concerned that will affect the Guard's ability to do its job.

Little is known about COVID-19 cases in which symptoms persist for months. Affected service members may have trouble performing their duties or getting treatment.

The military is taking a hard line on troops seeking religious exemptions to the COVID vaccine mandate. Lawyers say that could have consequences for others who seek different kinds of religious accommodations.

Under an order from President Biden, the Pentagon is deploying a thousand troops to help hospitals that are experiencing a surge in patients and have a lot of employees out sick.

Strict restrictions aboard Navy ships - put in place after a major COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 - have been eased, as the Navy tries to balance safety with fulfilling its mission.

In a sign of how desperate some states are for health care workers during the pandemic, New York has begun teaching EMT skills to National Guard members.

At the VA - the nation's largest health care system - dozens of hospitals have had to implement "contingency standards" since the omicron wave began.

The Pentagon says fewer than 10 percent of active duty troops remain totally unvaccinated. Some have requested exemptions; other face punishment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs said its frontline health workers must get vaccinated by mid-September or they'll lose their jobs.

More than 12,000 American Legion posts closed for at least part of the pandemic. Those closures left some posts in financial trouble.