California will not require students to be vaccinated for COVID-19 after Governor Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that he is suspending the state mandate that will take effect before next academic year, while a strong Democratic lawmaker has said he will withdraw his bill pushing even harder. vaccination rules. Newsom made headlines in October when it announced that California would be the first state to impose the vaccine on schools once vaccines are fully approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for children 12 and older, with a requirement to effective from 1 July. On Thursday, the California Department of Public Health announced that the schedule would be postponed to at least July 1, 2023, as the FDA has not yet fully approved the vaccine for children and the state will need time later to begin the rule-making process. The Newsom office said that once the FDA approves the vaccine for children 12 years and older, public health officials will consider the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for Disease Control and Prevention Centers and other groups “before applying the requirement for school vaccine. ” Currently, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is fully approved for ages 16 and up and there is only one emergency permit for ages 5 to 15, which is less standard than full approval. “The CDPH strongly encourages all eligible Californians, including children, to be vaccinated against COVID-19,” said California Department of Public Health Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Tomás J. Aragón in a statement. “We continue to ensure that our response to the COVID-19 pandemic is guided by the best science and best available data.” Newsom’s mandate is limited to grades seven to 12 and allows parents to opt out due to personal beliefs. The state is required to offer broader personal belief exemptions for any recently required vaccine unless it is added through a new law to the list of vaccines students must receive to attend schools in California. The story goes on Newsom’s announcement came hours after State Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) said he would withdraw from consideration of Senate Bill 871, which would have added COVID-19 vaccines to the list of California vaccinations required for attending K-12 schools, conditions that can only be waived if a student receives a rare medical exemption from a doctor. Pan introduced the SB 871 in January, saying it would ensure schools could remain open while providing backups to areas such as the Los Angeles Unified that have struggled with their own commands. He said the state should focus on increasing access to vaccines against COVID-19 and ensure that families have accurate information about the benefits of vaccination. “Until children’s access to COVID vaccination is significantly improved, I believe that a government policy requiring vaccination against COVID in schools is not an immediate priority, although it is an appropriate safety policy for many school districts in communities with good access to vaccines, “said Pan. . The bill, however, met with well-known reactions from vaccine activists and parents who said the state should not make medical decisions for their children. “This is a major victory for students and parents across California who have made their voices heard,” said Assembly member Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin), a vaccine order critic. In December, the LA Unified school board voted to postpone enforcing its mandate from January to this fall, citing concerns about student dropout. At that time, the district had to transfer thousands of unvaccinated students to its online self-study program, which was already struggling. The district mandate will require students 12 years of age and older to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the beginning of the fall semester, unless they have an approved medical exemption or receive a rare extension. Delaying the directive, the district said 87% of eligible students had demonstrated vaccination, received a medical exemption or received an extension. On Thursday, a LA Unified spokesman, after being asked to repeal the law and postpone the state vaccination mandate, said the district “will continue to review, evaluate and consult with our medical professionals as we remain guided by the prevailing science and inform policies from local, state and federal health authorities. “ Pan’s decision to withdraw his bill marked the second time in recent weeks that a vaccine bill had been passed. Last month, Assembly member Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) said he would suspend action on the 1993 assembly bill, which would require employees and independent contractors in both public and private workplaces to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment, unless they have an exception based on medical condition, disability or religious beliefs. Wicks cited improved pandemic conditions and opposition from public safety unions. The two bills were part of a broader package of legislation introduced by Democrat lawmakers who formed a working group on vaccines earlier this year. The bills that remain active include Senate Bill 866 by State Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), which allows children 12 and older to be vaccinated without parental consent, and Assembly Bill 1797 by MP Akilah. Weber (D-San Diego). something that would allow California school staff to more easily control student vaccine records by extending access to an immunization database across the state. Also advancing is Assembly Bill 2098 by Assembly member Evan Low (D-Campbell), which would make it easier for the California Medical Council to discipline physicians promoting COVID-19 misinformation by classifying it as unprofessional behavior. “My colleagues in the Vaccine Working Group and I will continue to promote policies to protect California residents from preventable COVID,” Pan said. This story first appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
