California is First State to Announce COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements for Schools

COVID-19
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Source: Office of Gov. Gavin Newsom

At a school in San Francisco, Governor Newsom announced plans to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of vaccinations required to attend school in-person when the vaccine receives full approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for middle and high school grades, making California the first state in the nation to announce such a measure. Following the other first-in-the-nation school masking and staff vaccination measures, Governor Newsom announced the COVID-19 vaccine will be required for in-person school attendance—just like vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella and more.

“The state already requires that students are vaccinated against viruses that cause measles, mumps, and rubella – there’s no reason why we wouldn’t do the same for COVID-19. Today’s measure, just like our first-in-the-nation school masking and staff vaccination requirements, is about protecting our children and school staff, and keeping them in the classroom,” said Governor Newsom. “Vaccines work. It’s why California leads the country in preventing school closures and has the lowest case rates. We encourage other states to follow our lead to keep our kids safe and prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

Thanks to the state’s bold public health measures, California continues to maintain the lowest case rate in the entire country and is one of only two states to have advanced out of the CDC’s ‘high’ COVID transmission category. More information about the announcement can be found here.

The vast majority of school districts have reported that over 95% of students have returned to in-person instruction this school year, as can be seen on the state’s Student Supports & In-Person Dashboard. Thanks to unprecedented resources and public health measures (measures shown to be highly effective), California is leading national trends in preventing school closures and keeping kids in classrooms, accounting for only 14 out of over 2,000 school closures nationwide, or roughly 0.7% – despite the fact that California educates an estimated 12% of the nation’s public school students. If California’s rates had aligned with national trends, the state would have seen upwards of 240 school closures.

In order to further protect students and staff and continue supporting a safe return to in-person instruction for all students, the Governor directed the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to follow the procedures established by the Legislature to add the COVID-19 vaccine to other vaccinations required for in-person school attendance—such as measles, mumps, and rubella—pursuant to the Health and Safety Code. COVID-19 vaccine requirements will be phased-in by grade span, which will also promote smoother implementation.

Upon full FDA approval of age groups within a grade span, CDPH will consider the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Family Physicians prior to implementing a requirement. Following existing statute, full approval of ages 12+ corresponds to grades 7-12, and full approval of ages 5-11 corresponds to grades K-6. Students who are under the age of full approval, but within the grade span, will be required to be vaccinated once they reach the age of full approval (with a reasonable period of time to receive both doses), consistent with existing procedures for other vaccines. The requirement will take effect at the start of the term following full approval of that grade span, to be defined as January 1st or July 1st, whichever comes first. Based on current information, the requirement is expected to apply to grades 7-12 starting on July 1, 2022. However, local health jurisdictions and local education agencies are encouraged to implement requirements ahead of a statewide requirement based on their local circumstances.

Governor Newsom’s historic $123.9 billion Pre-K and K-12 education package is providing an unprecedented level of school and student funding to transform the state’s public schools into gateways of equity and opportunity, supporting the potential of every California student by: achieving universal transitional kindergarten for four-year-olds by 2025, expanding afterschool and summer programs, providing universal free school nutrition, increasing the number of well-prepared staff per pupil, creating full-service community schools to support the mental and social-emotional well-being of students, and more.

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Channelfog
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Oct 11, 2021 04:16 AM
California is First State to Announce COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements for Schools

This crisis has brought out the worst in people as evidenced by these rude protesters. We Americans are brought up to revere our Freedom, particularly our Individual Freedom. A large number of Americans would die before relinquishing sovereignty over their bodies, whether it be by Covid or whatever. The vax mandates are both communistic and fascist, the antithesis of that which we were taught. Time will tell whether the vaxed or the un-vaxed will fare the best. Technically, this is phase 3, the first Human trials of these experimental new drugs, and given the trial size it will be a disaster if it goes wrong. We shall see.

sacjon
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Oct 11, 2021 10:45 AM
California is First State to Announce COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements for Schools

VOICE - wasn't asking you, but since you want to butt in.... the vaccine is a health care measure, not political. As you keep yelling at everyone, "stop making this political."

OK, so let's say your definition of fascism is accurate. "Dictorial power?" It's a global pandemic, we need to do everything we can to stop it. Doctors and scientists are begging us to get vaccinated so we can slow the spread. They don't have the executive power to enforce it (other than the brave docs refusing to treat anti-vaxxers), so the politicians must. "Forcible suppression of opposition?" No one is suppressing anti-vaxxers. Removing outright lies and misinformation is not "suppression," it's the free market at work, allowing private companies to decide what to have on their sites. Anti-vaxxers aren't being rounded up and marched to camps, they're being told to make a choice. Get vaxxed or submit testing results or find a new job. You wouldn't have lasted a minute under a real dictatorship.

Next, communism. Here's the definition from Britanica: "Communism, political and economic doctrine that aims to replace private property and a profit-based economy with public ownership and communal control of at least the major means of production (e.g., mines, mills, and factories) and the natural resources of a society."

Explain how vaccine mandates are "communistic?"

Babycakes
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Oct 08, 2021 03:42 PM
California is First State to Announce COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements for Schools

This will go a long way to getting that portion of the population who refuse the jab to get jabbed. In California. A recent article suggested that less than 40 percent of the eligible Black and Latino residents were fully vaccinated, or 60 percent are NOT vaccinated. Interesting how some folks refer to these POC as "loonies" because they are not fully vaccinated. Loonies? Really? Funny how bullying and shaming is the way some of you think is best to get people vaccinated. News Flash: Bullying and Shaming does not work (unless you have "White Guilt".....errr, "W" privilege). LOL at the bullies and shamers. Don't work....the shaming and bullying that y'all insist on doing is counter-productive.

bosco
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Oct 08, 2021 04:22 PM
California is First State to Announce COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements for Schools

While this shouldn't be an issue, this will inevitably give fuel to the youtube/reddit warriors in our divided nation to wage keyboard war with anecdotal evidence, twisted facts, and general paranoia. I feel bad for the kids that will inevitably now become homeschooled by uneducated parents setting them up for a life of failure.

Voice of Reason
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Oct 08, 2021 04:51 PM
California is First State to Announce COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements for Schools

Between 1/1/2020 and 10/2/21 there were 5,248 pediatric deaths in California, 46 died with covid (not necessarily from). If this is the risk threshold we're going to move forward with we'd save a lot more young lives by mandating they wear helmets in motor vehicles. Even if the FDA eventually approves the use on young children, it has to not only be safe but there also needs to be a benefit. When there is only a small benefit, even small risks can outweigh that benefit.

a-1633737369
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Oct 08, 2021 04:56 PM
California is First State to Announce COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements for Schools

VOR, do we really have to explain how this works, again, a year and a half in? It is not only about the children who get it. It is about the spread exacerbated by children in close-contact indoor school environments, who then go home and spread it among their family, who then go out in public and spread it among the neighborhood, etc, etc. Remember, immunocompromised folks cannot get a vaccine, or have insufficient immune response to a vaccine that leaves them vulnerable, by no fault of their own. This is not just about you. This is not just about the children. Think bigger.

Voice of Reason
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Oct 08, 2021 05:03 PM
California is First State to Announce COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements for Schools

so all this for a few immunocompromised folks who can't get the vaccine? Read this CDC study below, while serious adverse reactions are rare, they do occur. How many children have to have serious reactions to be worth saving one immunocompromised person? If we vaccinate every child in CA how many will die as a result? It won't be zero! Will it be more than the 46 that have already died with covid? Unfortunately time will tell. Give me several years of data and studies on how it impacts prepubescent kids (medically speaking they are not just little adults) before I sign my kids up (who have all their other shots and the annual flu shot.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7031e1.htm

bosco
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Oct 08, 2021 05:06 PM
California is First State to Announce COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements for Schools

I've said it here many times. But this has nothing to do with the individual risk of COVID to children. This has everything to do with stopping the overall spread and minimizing the risk of more dangerous variants. I am not concerned about my children's safety from getting COVID. I am concerned that uncontrolled spread will cause a vaccine resistant variant to breakthrough and put us back to 2020. Personally, I'm sick of dealing with the paranoia from people either afraid of COVID or afraid of the vaccine. I've moved on, but we need to get to normalcy and the only way to do it is to get to some level herd immunity. The fastest way to herd immunity is by vaccination and last I checked SB County is only at 58% fully vaccinated.

Voice of Reason
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Oct 08, 2021 05:14 PM
California is First State to Announce COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements for Schools

https://www.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/children-and-covid-19-state-level-data-report/

If a child gets covid there is a .1%-1.9% chance they'd end up in the hospital and 0.00%-0.03% the could die (these include those with serious underlying symptoms). These extremely low probabilities leave very little room for a vaccine to provide more benefit than it's risks, even if those risks are very small. NO, I don't think it's ethical to subject children to something that might be as risky to them as the actual virus, simply to potentially save the immunocompromised who can't get it.

Voice of Reason
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Oct 08, 2021 04:55 PM
California is First State to Announce COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements for Schools

Mandating something for young children before the FDA has determined it's both safe and beneficial, while at the same time exempting groups who make large political donations to the person doing the mandating, reeks of nefarious political activities, disregards any "science", and is yet another excellent example of why we need to get money out of politics.

Voice of Reason
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Oct 08, 2021 10:19 PM
California is First State to Announce COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements for Schools

I got mine a while ago Pstar. And with how politicized the CDC and FDA have become, and how they’ve always been in bed with big pharma, I will be very cautious if/when they approve it for my little ones. Through their own actions they have lost a lot of credibility the past year.

Voice of Reason
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Oct 08, 2021 05:19 PM
California is First State to Announce COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements for Schools

So many here unfortunately still think we can vaccinate covid away. We can certainly minimize covid hospitalizations and deaths, but if it doesn't eliminate transmission, and there are non-human hosts that can carry covid, covid-19 is not going away. It sucks but that is reality.

pstarSR
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Oct 08, 2021 06:20 PM
California is First State to Announce COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements for Schools

Sadly since we didnt get 70+% quick enough ( and still dont) and people stopped wearing masks And started in going into crowds and ignoring protocols we are here. We cant wish it away becuase of the section of
Society that feels they need to
Be special. Thats the most polite way i
Can word this. Literally anti vax is what is keeping us where we are. Yet they complain about it.

letmego
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Oct 11, 2021 10:51 AM
California is First State to Announce COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements for Schools

"So many here unfortunately still think we can vaccinate covid away. We can certainly minimize covid hospitalizations and deaths"

Um, what? The whole point of the vaccine, when it was released, was to prevent COVID hospitalizations and deaths. Hello?? It will eventually become endemic, and most of us will get some version of it. In the meantime, let's prevent hospitalizations and deaths please!!

GeneralTree
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Oct 08, 2021 05:36 PM
California is First State to Announce COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements for Schools

Thank goodness we live in a reasonable state. The fact that the cases and hospitalizations are down are all fact proof the vaccine and masks is working. One school district in Florida had 10 teachers/administrators die of Covid this school year. The school my sister works for in Florida was ravaged by Covid in the first week of school with both students and teachers being hospitalized. If you can't live with public heath rules - move to another state, or work remotely and home school. We don't have time for anti-vaccine nonsense any longer - you are a minority and have been overruled.

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