We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
COVID VACCINATIONS WILL be compulsory for all students in California, the state governor has announced – a first in the United States, where vaccine hesitancy has slowed efforts to end the pandemic.
The plan will be phased in as Food and Drug Administration regulators grant full approval for use in younger age groups.
California “will require our kids to get the Covid-19 vaccine to come to school,” said Governor Gavin Newsom.
“Our schools already require vaccines for measles, mumps and more. Why? Because vaccines work. This is about keeping our kids safe and healthy.”
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been granted full FDA approval for 16-year-olds and up.
“Once the FDA approves the vaccination in different cohorts, starting with 12 and above – grade seven to 12 – we will begin to apply that requirement in the next term,” Newsom said as he made his announcement at a local school.
“We are all exhausted by this pandemic,” said Newsom, saying the rules would apply to all students attending class in both the state or private education systems.
The rules are set to affect six million students in America’s most populous state, where 84% of all eligible residents have had at least one dose of the vaccine.
Nearly 700,000 people have died in the United States from coronavirus, with vaccines, mask-wearing and shutdowns all becoming fiercely political issues.
“Schools are actually closed more frequently in those states that have not been more disciplined in terms in advancing more scientific and data-driven approaches to taming this disease,” Newsom said.
Pfizer and BioNTech last week said they had begun submitting data to the FDA for the highly-anticipated authorization of their vaccine for children aged five to 11.
Children have been infected in greater numbers in the latest wave driven by the Delta variant, and inoculating younger people is seen as key to keeping schools open and helping thwart the pandemic.
The Pfizer vaccine received full, formal approval in the US in August and is technically available to younger children if prescribed by a doctor.
Pfizer and BioNTech are also testing their vaccine on children as young as two.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Scary times
@Darren Mc Mahon: I was just going to say the same thing!
@Darren Mc Mahon: it’s already mandatory to take several vaccines before they’re allowed to attend school. What makes this one so “scary”?
@Ger: oh I don’t know Ger….. maybe the fact that it’s a relatively new vaccine with little data behind it. Or maybe the fact that children that age are still developing and may have issues down the road. I’m double vaccinated by the way so not anti vac.
@Darren Mc Mahon: how many billions of shots given will it take to put your mind at ease?
@Deirdre O’Byrne: ouch that’s told me….. no Deirdre what I’m afraid of is the long term effects. So it’s not how many doses it’s length of time before I’d be happy for this to be mandatory. Does that help answer your question/statement?
@Ger: There are exceptions, such as homeless or illegal immigration children
@Darren Mc Mahon: But you haven’t had a guess at a number of months or years that would be enough for you. As I see it, the FDA kept thalidomide out of the States and their testing process is stringent.
Thank goodness my kids are all adults now & can make their own decisions, I don’t think I’d be happy about this if they were very young!
@Colette Kearns: Collete, your children, like mine, received a variety of vaccinations growing up. This is just another one.
@Fenrir Wolfganger: Well because my husband & myself are adopted when we had our first 2 boys they were only given the 2 in 1 vaccine & not the 3 in 1 back in the 80′s so I always wondered why that was! I’m not an antivaxer by the way, just saying!
@Colette Kearns: Hi Colette, the number of vaccines being given has being going up over the decades, my son got the Hpv vaccine last year which I never got. I remember getting a vaccine at least once in the 70′s (because we were taken from class for it) but wouldn’t have a clue what it was for or what others were given then.
Btw, what the article doesn’t make clear is that children only need the vaccine to attend regular school, there will still be educational options for those who can’t or won’t take them.
All it will take is Claire Byrne or any of our other prolific broadcasters to think this is a good idea and Stephen and them all in Leinster house will row in behind it!! Politics ruled by media as usual.
@Niall Gannon: Why? So far the Government hasn’t been issuing Vaccine mandates, why believe they’ll start now? Where’s the evidence?
@Niall Gannon: did you not even finish reading the headline, nevermind the article ?
I just can’t see how mandates for vaccinating children don’t backfire.
@Vonvonic: and many here would think the opposite. MMR vaccines worked wonders for us at the time.
@Paul Cunningham: I agree. I’m for vaccines. The mandates for kids are a separate thing though. Trying to mandate parents decisions on their children’s health is a very hot issue which I think will backfire, especially in the US at the moment.
@Paul Cunningham: I’m really only talking about COVID vaccines.
@Vonvonic: California is largely Democrat and pro vaccine so most parents would be happy with the vaccine for their children. Newsom has said there would be other options for those who can’t or won’t take the Covid Vaccine. I don’t think this mandate would work in some of the anti vac states.
@Fenrir Wolfganger: Yes. I hope that’s right But I think these antivax/Trump/QANON groups have become pretty mobile. They’re really nuts. I could see trouble at schools.
@Vonvonic: You’re right Vonvonic, they have, some of the private videos and news reports are scary. But the antivax/republican movement in California had a humiliating defeat with the failed attempt to remove Newsom recently so I’d say they’d be careful in most parts of California. Again, there are other states where I don’t think this mandate would work at all.
@Fenrir Wolfganger: California has a sizeable homeless and illegal immigrant, both are keeping vaccination rates for children low, as other vaccines are not mandatory for those two groups. Cali rates of vaccine only count legal residents and citizens.
Just spoke to my friend who works in a hospital in ca. She just sacked 15 of her staff because they refused to either vaccinate or provide the necessary paperwork which excused them. While I absolutely believe in vaccines I really don’t think threatening or forcing people to make healthcare choices through financial manipulation is the way to go, all it does is give evidence and ammunition to the conspiracy theorist which is part of the reason you are in this hole.
@SmallbutMighty: In California health workers have until next Thursday to be vaccinated before they’re fired, care to clarify your friend’s claim? (source ABC news)
Also medical staff already have to get other vaccines anyway, it’s part of the job, plus they are allowed health and religious exemptions. Back to you.
@SmallbutMighty: You see, it’s not so easy to make monsters and conspiracy nuts out of the very same health professionals, people are being told to listen to. Rational, medically trained people who are otherwise absolutely pro vaccines are a difficult bunch to discredit. Counter debate is simply shut down or censored but it won’t be when children are involved – particularly as mandates do not discern between which groups of people are actually in real need of medical procedures based on real personal risk to an individual.
@Fenrir Wolfganger: her staff in the private hospital she works in were given until the 1st of October (Source the person having to do the firing, I’ve no reason to doubt her) health and religious beliefs are acceptable 15 staff did not provide this so she had to fire them. Plenty of people have taken other vaccines but refuse this specific one. The area she lives in is like the cherry in the blueberry pie it’s very conservative and full of crazy. Back to you.
@Fenrir Wolfganger: ill let this one sit with you. https://www.cmadocs.org/newsroom/news/view/ArticleId/49432/California-health-care-workers-must-be-fully-vaccinated-by-Sept-30
@SmallbutMighty: If they choose NOT to be vaxxed, then of course they should be sacked. They are working around vulnerable people. Either get vaxxed or get a different job.
@Paul Whitehead: Paul, you are making a life changing determination for these Medical Professionals based purely on what you’ve almost been forced to accept!
When natural protection is not even being taken into consideration, the result is neither logical nor scientific! It’s 100% hardline which is based solely on ramming home a policy & absolutely not based on best medical practice!
@Fenrir Wolfganger: Why should you be made to get a vaccination if your own immunity is working for you? Medical professionals stand a greater chance then the population for having been infected prior and according to scientists, prior infection is the best protection.
@Fenrir Wolfganger: Vaccines for many they don’t stand a chance in Hell building up their own immunity through infection. Immunity is the goal, vaccination is nit the only way to it.
@SmallbutMighty: My apologies. Indisputably I got things mixed up and was wrong in what I said. Thursday September 30th was the cut off date and your friend did have to fire 15 staff on Friday. Again, my apologies.
@Paul Whitehead: I agree medical staff should all be vaccinated, I just have reservations about the approach, I think it just turns it into a political decision rather than a healthcare one.
@Fenrir Wolfganger: graciously accepted.
It’s a sad fact that the severity of Covid death’s in individual states is linked to which party is in power there. Newsom and California are Democrat states so more people are vaccinated and their hospital’s aren’t overflowing. Also his recent endorsement by the voters has strengthened his hand. Personally I was proud of my 13 yr old for choosing to take the vaccine, and relieved his side effects weren’t as bad as mine.
@Irish Mudder: I know I was nauseated after my first shot and sick as a dog after the second while my son was fine after the first and had a stiff arm for a day after the second. So those were the side effects.
I also know I suffered long covid symptoms for nearly a year and I’m happy that my son won’t face covid side effects like having to be intubated or buried prematurely.
Those are things known to be real.
They should make the childhood immunisations mandatory here in order to attend school.
@Colleen: ffs is all I can say
Good. I have no time for people with anti vaccine views. It’s so selfish, only thinking about themselves and never considering how not taking the vaccine will affect those around them, particularly the vulnerable and the potential spread of these viruses the vaccines help prevent. The risk of catching covid and having serious complications is higher than the risk of side affects from the vaccine itself. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few ! / end rant.
@R: What if you acquired an even better immunity through prior infection?
@Contrary Mary: Great. I’d still get the vaccine.
@Contrary Mary: lasts 6 to 9 months, then you’re at risk of another bout of it. I’ve heard of plenty of people who had Covid twice..
You would think by the reaction mandatory vacancies for school kids was a new concept.
@John Elliott: Type of vaccine I think is the issue. You’ll find that 99.9% of people are perfectly comfortable with all other vaccines. Also, the dangers that this virus presents for children themselves are ‘almost’ non existent. I will not put this into my children’s bodies in order to potentially protect me (or anybody else for that matter) when the numbers tell me that the dangers from covid to my children are less than negligible.
If some children’s health is compromised in other ways, then of course the benefits of this vaccine will be apparent, use it on a needs be basis but forget about mandates.
There is no prerequisite for homeless or illegal immigrant children to be vaccinated or prove they are for other vaccines, per Obama’s reclassification of illegal immigrant children as homeless, to skip this requirement, during his first tenure.
have your say