The only consistent thing about the science here is that it’s political science.

U.S. service members who are HIV-positive cannot be discharged or barred from becoming an officer solely because they’re infected with the virus, a federal judge in Virginia ruled. Advocates say it’s one of the strongest rulings in years for people living with HIV.

Officers who are infected with a virus can’t be discharged or barred, but officers who merely refuse to get vaccinated against a virus they don’t have, can be.

An attorney for the airmen argued during a 2019 hearing that the odds of transmitting HIV in combat are infinitesimal and should not limit their deployment or lead to their discharge.

As opposed to the risk of personnel who don’t even have it transmitting COVID?

The political science is clear. Bad people must be punished, not because of the science, but because of their views.