California becomes first state to require COVID-19 vaccine for students
California will mandate COVID-19 vaccines for students and staff, becoming the first state in the nation to require schoolchildren to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Governor Gavin Newsom made the announcement Friday morning at Denman Middle School in San Francisco's Balboa Park neighborhood. The COVID vaccine will be added to the list of required vaccines for students to attend in-person school once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves it for different age groups, CBS SF Bay Area reports.
"Our schools already require vaccines for measles, mumps and more. Why? Because vaccines work," the governor tweeted. "This is about keeping our kids safe & healthy.
Currently, Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine has been FDA-approved for those 16 and over but only granted an emergency authorization for anyone 12 to 15. Once federal regulators fully approve the vaccine for that group, the state will require students in seventh through 12th grades to get vaccinated in both public and private schools, Newsom's office said.
The state will require the COVID-19 vaccine for students in kindergarten through sixth grade only after the FDA has given final approval for anyone 5 to 11.
The announcement comes as 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 where he emphasized his commitment to vaccine mandates to end the pandemic.
The state's vaccine mandate would take effect the semester after the federal government grants final approval. If it comes in January, then the mandate would take effect in July.
Students would be granted religious and medical exemptions, but the rules for how the state would apply those exemptions have not been written yet. Any student who refuses to take the vaccine would be forced to complete an independent study course at home.
Until now, Newsom had left the decision on student vaccine mandates to local school districts, leading to a variety of different orders across some of the state's largest districts.
Los Angeles and Oakland Unified have mandated all students over 12 to be vaccinated, but Oakland's order has not set a deadline for when students must comply. L.A. set a deadline of January 20.
Earlier this week, the San Diego Unified school board approved a mandate that staff and students age 16 and older be fully vaccinated by December 20.
Newsom has made it a point of pride to be the first in the nation to issue a variety of pandemic-related school mandates.
In August, California became the first state in the U.S. to require all teachers and staff in K-12 public and private schools to get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. Newsom also issued a school mask mandate earlier in the summer for indoor classes that applies to all teachers and students.
On Friday, Newsom noted positive trends in the state when it comes to beating back the pandemic, noting the state has one of the highest vaccination rates in the country.
"California has the lowest case rate in the United States of America. We've maintained that status now for some time," Newsom said. "Not surprisingly, that's been driven primarily by one of the nation's leading vaccination efforts."
California has administered over 50 million doses of vaccine, with 84% of eligible Californians receiving at least one dose, according to Newsom.