First State to Require COVID Shots for All Students

California rule kicks in when vaccine becomes available for schoolkids
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 1, 2021 2:45 PM CDT
First State to Require COVID Shots for Children
Gov. Gavin Newsom, middle, speaks Friday to students in a seventh grade science class at James Denman Middle School in San Francisco.   (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced the nation's first coronavirus vaccination mandate for schoolchildren, a plan that will have all elementary through high school students get the shots once the vaccine gains final approval from the federal government for different age groups. The government has approved the COVID-19 vaccine for those 16 and older but granted only an emergency authorization for ages 12 to 15. Once federal regulators fully approve the vaccine for that group, the state will require students in seventh through 12th grades to be vaccinated in public and private schools, the AP reports. The state will require the vaccine for students in kindergarten through sixth grade after the federal government has given final approval for anyone 5 to 11.

Infections in most of California have dropped markedly in the last month. But Newsom has been emboldened after easily defeating a recall effort last month following a campaign in which he emphasized his commitment to vaccine mandates to end the pandemic. In Los Angeles County—the nation's largest, with more than 10 million residents—just 1.7% of people tested for the virus have it, and daily infections are down by half in the last month, when most kids went back to school. California also was the first state to require teachers and school employees to be vaccinated.

"These numbers are amazingly low given that 3,000-plus schools are now open countywide," county Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Thursday. She noted that although the number of outbreaks in schools has increased slightly in recent weeks, the overall number is low and largely related to youth sports. The state's vaccine mandate would take effect the semester after the federal government grants final approval. If that's in January, the mandate would take effect in July. Students could receive religious and medical exemptions, but the rules have not been written yet. Any student who refuses to take the vaccine would be forced to complete an independent study course at home.

(More coronavirus vaccine stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X