Covid-19 vaccines will be on the 2023 vaccine schedule, but that doesn’t mean they’re required in schools

Covid-19 vaccines will be on the 2023 vaccine schedule, but that doesn’t mean they’re required in schools   Covid-19 vaccines will be part of recommended immunization schedules in 2023 for both children and adults, after a unanimous vote by the CDC’s independent Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.   But that doesn’t make the vaccines mandatory for anyone, a point that was emphasized in a discussion before the vote. The board members addressed concerns from the public that adding Covid-19 vaccinations to the schedule would force schools to require the shots.   “Indeed, there are vaccines that are on the schedule right now that are not required for school attendance in many jurisdictions, such as seasonal influenza. Local control matters, and we honor that. The decision around school entrance for vaccines rests where it did before, which is with the state level, the county level and at the municipal level, if it exists at all. They are the arbiters of what vaccines are required, if any, for school entry. This discussion does not change that,” said Dr. Nirav Shah, a committee member and director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.   In fact, Covid-19 vaccines are explicitly banned from being included in school mandates in at least 20 states. Only California and the Washington, DC have announced that Covid-19 shots will be among mandated vaccinations for students, but those mandates were not implemented for this school year.   Although the Covid-19 shot will not become mandatory for all schools, all 50 states do have laws requiring specific vaccines for students – most of which include shots for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTaP), and varicella.