Students must now get certain vaccines, like the measles and polio vaccines, in order to attend school. Now, a CDC advisory panel has recommended the COVID-19 vaccine be added to the recommended immunization schedule for children and adults. Does that mean students will have to have a COVID-19 vaccine to attend school? The short answer is no.
“The COVID vaccine is not a requirement and there's nothing about the recommendation coming forward from the CDC that would make it a requirement,” said San Diego Unified’s School Board Vice President Richard Barrera.
The recommended immunization vaccine schedule is not a vaccine mandate, but rather it is meant to guide doctors in determining when to give several important vaccinations -- like polio, measles and whooping cough -- to children. It is also a way for doctors to encourage patients to get the vaccines on the list.
When it comes to deciding which vaccines are required for school attendance, the state and local jurisdictions make their own rules.
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“There is not a vaccine mandate in place in our district,” said Barrera. “We've postponed decisions about that to 2023, the state has as well, so there’s no new mandate for the students to get a vaccination to attend school.”
The advisory committee voted unanimously that children six months and older, as well as adults, should get the COVID vaccine, plus boosters when eligible.
A check of the latest county numbers shows 40.2% of 5 to 11-year-olds are vaccinated to prevent COVID; 73.7% of 12 to 19-year-olds have had their shots.
