California Assembly committee backs vaccine exemption law
5 years, 6 months ago

California Assembly committee backs vaccine exemption law

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A California Assembly committee backed new rules for vaccination exemptions on Thursday following a raucous, hours-long hearing in the midst of a national measles outbreak and renewed scrutiny of immunization policies. Under the bill, the public health department would scrutinize doctors who grant more than five medical exemptions in a year and schools with vaccination rates of less than 95%. — California Department of Public Health doctors or registered nurses would review exemptions issued by local medical providers who issue five or more a year or at schools with high exemption rates. Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Alameda, praised the bill during Thursday’s hearing as “science-based” while still allowing robust medical exemptions.

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History of this topic

US childhood vaccination exemptions reach their highest level ever
1 year, 2 months ago

US childhood vaccination exemptions reach their highest level ever

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — The proportion of U.S. kindergartners exempted from school vaccination requirements has hit its highest level ever, 3%, U.S. health officials said Thursday. Even though more kids were given exemptions, the national vaccination rate held steady: 93% of kindergartners got their required shots for the 2022-2023 school year, the same as the year before, the Centers for Disease …

Opinion: California gave up on mandating COVID vaccines for schoolchildren. Here’s why that’s wise
1 year, 10 months ago

Opinion: California gave up on mandating COVID vaccines for schoolchildren. Here’s why that’s wise

LA Times  

A California Supreme Court decision last week reaffirmed that individual school districts lack the authority to require students to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Unlike the other vaccines required for school enrollment in California, the COVID vaccines are unreliable at preventing infection or transmission, providing at best modest protection against infection for only a couple of months. We never had any …

California’s COVID-19 student vaccine mandate, on hold since April, is dropped
1 year, 11 months ago

California’s COVID-19 student vaccine mandate, on hold since April, is dropped

LA Times  

Sarginoor Kaur gets a COVID-19 vaccination from nurse Chelsea Meyer at Arleta High School in 2021. California will not enact its student vaccine mandate, Public Health Department officials said. California’s student COVID-19 vaccine mandate — which has been on hold since April — has been quietly dropped as the state prepares to end emergency pandemic restrictions later this month, public …

Bill to allow minors to be vaccinated without parental consent is withdrawn
2 years, 4 months ago

Bill to allow minors to be vaccinated without parental consent is withdrawn

LA Times  

A bill to allow minors to consent to vaccines without parental permission will not move forward this year, with the author of the measure saying Wednesday that it remained short of votes heading into the final day of the legislative session. On Wednesday, Wiener said the bill was “several votes short of 41” needed to pass, with no “viable path …

A looming COVID risk in California? Schools return with fewer rules, lagging vaccine rates
2 years, 4 months ago

A looming COVID risk in California? Schools return with fewer rules, lagging vaccine rates

LA Times  

First-graders at Ellen Ochoa Learning Center in Cudahy participate in a pep rally on the playground during the first day of school. California schools reopened for the fall semester with loosened COVID-19 protocols and low vaccination rates among younger students, presenting a new test for the trajectory of the pandemic as some experts expect another rise in cases when winter …

Editorial: Vaccines are safe. So why shouldn’t teens be able to get them on their own?
2 years, 4 months ago

Editorial: Vaccines are safe. So why shouldn’t teens be able to get them on their own?

LA Times  

California teenagers should have the right to protect their health by receiving approved vaccines without parental consent or knowledge. State law allows minors ages 12 and older to consent to various reproductive and preventive health treatments, including abortions, vaccines for HPV and other sexually transmitted diseases and mental healthcare. Senate Bill 866 would change that by allowing minors 15 and …

Politics and pandemic fatigue derail California’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates
2 years, 7 months ago

Politics and pandemic fatigue derail California’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates

LA Times  

In January, progressive California Democrats vowed to adopt the toughest COVID-19 vaccine requirements in the country. Now, even as case rates start to balloon again, the window of opportunity to adopt COVID-19 vaccine mandates may have closed, said Hemi Tewarson, executive director of the National Academy for State Health Policy. And legislation is just not being enacted.” California One of …

State measure that would allow preteens to get vaccines without parental consent advances
2 years, 8 months ago

State measure that would allow preteens to get vaccines without parental consent advances

LA Times  

Heather Haworth, left, holds the hand of her 12-year-old son, Jeremy, as he receives a COVID-19 vaccination from medical assistant Gloria Urgell in Santa Ana last year. A California measure that would allow children ages 12 and up to be vaccinated without their parents’ consent, including against the coronavirus, cleared its first legislative hurdle Thursday. It builds on long-standing existing …

California delays coronavirus vaccine mandate for schools
2 years, 9 months ago

California delays coronavirus vaccine mandate for schools

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California is sticking with its coronavirus vaccine mandate for schoolchildren, but it won’t happen until at least the summer of 2023, Gov. “So based on these two facts — we don’t have full FDA approval, and we recognize the implementation challenges that schools and school leaders would face — that we are not moving to have a …

California pauses plans to require COVID-19 vaccinations for schoolchildren
2 years, 9 months ago

California pauses plans to require COVID-19 vaccinations for schoolchildren

LA Times  

California will not require schoolchildren to be immunized for COVID-19 after Gov. Newsom’s office said that after the FDA approves the vaccine for children 12 and older, state public health officials will consider recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other groups “prior to implementing a school vaccine requirement.” Currently, …

Most Californians favor COVID vaccine requirements even as they’re lifted, poll finds
2 years, 9 months ago

Most Californians favor COVID vaccine requirements even as they’re lifted, poll finds

LA Times  

A woman steps out of her car at a pharmacy in Nashua, N.H., offering COVID-19 vaccinations on Dec. 7, 2021. Most Californians still favor COVID-19 restrictions, including requirements to show proof of vaccination at large outdoor gatherings or to enter places like indoor restaurants and bars, a new survey suggests. Overall, 57% of residents surveyed by the PPIC said they …

One of the most far-reaching vaccine mandate bills in California will not move forward
2 years, 9 months ago

One of the most far-reaching vaccine mandate bills in California will not move forward

LA Times  

Assemblymember Buffy Wicks said Tuesday that she would hold Assembly Bill 1993, which would have required employees and independent contractors to be vaccinated against COVID-19 unless they obtained an exemption. Citing improved pandemic conditions and opposition from public safety unions, Assemblymember Buffy Wicks said she would hold Assembly Bill 1993, which would have required employees and independent contractors, in both …

California voters strongly support mask and vaccine mandates in K-12 schools
2 years, 10 months ago

California voters strongly support mask and vaccine mandates in K-12 schools

LA Times  

Nearly two-thirds of California voters, including a majority of parents, support mask and vaccine mandates in K-12 schools, according to a poll conducted this month by the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley and co- The results of the early February poll of nearly 9,000 California voters suggest continued broad public support for policies aimed at reducing the spread …

California bills target doctors, websites pushing vaccine misinformation
2 years, 11 months ago

California bills target doctors, websites pushing vaccine misinformation

LA Times  

The California Assembly casts votes on Sept. 12, 2019, at the Capitol in Sacramento. California lawmakers are targeting doctors and websites that promote COVID-19 misinformation in the latest batch of bills introduced by a group of Democrats pushing for stronger vaccination laws in the state. Assembly Bill 2098 by Assembly Member Evan Low would make it easier for the Medical …

As mask mandates ease, should California schools be next?
2 years, 11 months ago

As mask mandates ease, should California schools be next?

LA Times  

Third-grade students wear masks in class in August at Montara Avenue Elementary School in South Gate. The CDC “still recommends that all schools encourage students to wear well-fitting masks consistently and while indoors,” Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a radio interview. “I would still keep the mask mandate indoors, but would consider relaxing masks outdoors — if 80% of …

California bill would boost schools’ access to student COVID-19 vaccine data
2 years, 11 months ago

California bill would boost schools’ access to student COVID-19 vaccine data

LA Times  

California school officials could more easily check student COVID-19 vaccine records under a bill introduced Friday that would expand access to a statewide database, part of a broader effort in the Legislature to drive up school immunization rates. The new proposal would allow school administrators to check students’ COVID-19 vaccine status and would implement a mandate for vaccine providers to …

Column: California is headed for another bruising vaccine fight. Newsom should embrace a school mandate
2 years, 11 months ago

Column: California is headed for another bruising vaccine fight. Newsom should embrace a school mandate

LA Times  

State Sen. Richard Pan prepares to announce a bill that adds COVID-19 vaccines to California’s list of required inoculations for attending K-12 schools at Arleta High School on Jan. 24 in Los Angeles. Most significantly, Pan’s bill would treat the COVID-19 vaccination like the other shots: There could be no exemption for a “personal belief,” a previously much abused excuse …

California plan to require student vaccination sparks intense debate. Here’s what we know
2 years, 11 months ago

California plan to require student vaccination sparks intense debate. Here’s what we know

LA Times  

A student is vaccinated by a school nurse at Arleta High School. Senate Bill 871, by state Sen. Richard Pan, would add COVID-19 vaccinations to California’s list of required inoculations for attending K-12 schools, which can be skipped only if a student receives a rare medical exemption. Under the bill, the California Department of Public Health could mandate vaccinations in …

All California schoolchildren must be vaccinated against COVID-19 under new bill
2 years, 11 months ago

All California schoolchildren must be vaccinated against COVID-19 under new bill

LA Times  

California students would be required to be immunized for COVID-19 under a bill introduced Monday, offering backup to districts such as L.A. Unified that have struggled with their own mandates while igniting familiar backlash from anti-vaccine activists and parents who say the state should not make medical decisions for their children. Senate Bill 871, by state Sen. Richard Pan, would …

Anti-vaccination forces gear up for fight over California vaccine legislation
2 years, 11 months ago

Anti-vaccination forces gear up for fight over California vaccine legislation

LA Times  

Vaccine protester Jessica Holloway of Lake County urges California lawmakers and Gov. “It’s important that we continue to push for vaccine mandates the most aggressively we possibly can,” said Wicks, who faced death threats over her vaccine legislation last year. “We can’t let ourselves be held hostage by these right-wing conspiracy theorists who are perpetrating hate and violence.” ‘The firestorm …

Preteens can get vaxxed without parent under California bill
2 years, 11 months ago

Preteens can get vaxxed without parent under California bill

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California would allow children age 12 and up to be vaccinated without their parents’ consent under a proposal introduced Friday by a state senator who said youngsters “deserve the right to protect themselves” against infectious disease. “Those kids deserve the right to protect themselves.” Responding to criticism that the bill would limit parents’ oversight of their children’s …

California kids 12 and older could receive COVID-19 vaccine without parent’s OK
2 years, 11 months ago

California kids 12 and older could receive COVID-19 vaccine without parent’s OK

LA Times  

Ana Chaglasian is an ambassador with Teens for Vaccines, a group that helps teens whose parents are anti-vaccine or vaccine hesitant by providing them with a guide of how to convince their parents. Senate Bill 866 by Sen. Scott Wiener would permit children 12 and older to be vaccinated, including against COVID-19, without a parent’s consent or knowledge. “There are …

Parents in California protest student COVID-19 vaccine mandate, keep kids home
3 years, 2 months ago

Parents in California protest student COVID-19 vaccine mandate, keep kids home

LA Times  

Parents and students hold signs and shout at a protest Monday against the state’s pending student-vaccine mandate in front of Birmingham Community Charter High School in Lake Balboa. Groups of parents and children kept out of school in protest lined the sidewalk outside Birmingham High School in Lake Balboa on Monday, part of statewide demonstrations against California’s mandate requiring all …

Who can opt out of school COVID vaccine mandate? California lawmakers eye crackdown
3 years, 3 months ago

Who can opt out of school COVID vaccine mandate? California lawmakers eye crackdown

LA Times  

Gavin Newsom said last week that California would require students to be vaccinated against COVID-19, a critical caveat was tucked within the nation-leading announcement: Parents can opt their children out of inoculation based on personal beliefs. “And it’s why they should be removed for COVID-19.” Newsom announced Friday that the state would require students at all public and private schools …

Religious Exemptions for Vaccine Mandates Shouldn't Exist
3 years, 3 months ago

Religious Exemptions for Vaccine Mandates Shouldn't Exist

Wired  

Covid vaccine mandates are proliferating—and so, inevitably, are attempts to evade them by claiming a religious exemption. As the Supreme Court observed in 1879, “To permit this would be to make the professed doctrines of religious belief superior to the law of the land, and in effect to permit every citizen to become a law unto himself.” Congress can’t tell …

California becomes first US state with Covid vaccine mandate for schools
3 years, 3 months ago

California becomes first US state with Covid vaccine mandate for schools

India TV News  

California became the first state in the US to announce plans to require student vaccination for Covid-19 by adding the vaccine to the list of vaccinations required for school, such as the vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella. According to an order approved by Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday, students in the Golden State would be required to be vaccinated …

California pushes 1st US vaccine mandate for schoolchildren
3 years, 3 months ago

California pushes 1st US vaccine mandate for schoolchildren

Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO — California is poised to impose the nation’s first coronavirus vaccine mandate for schoolchildren, a move announced Friday that could push other states to follow as many did after Gov. Newsom said the mandate won’t take effect for all children until the U.S. government has finished fully vetting the vaccine for two age groups — 12 to 15 …

California student COVID vaccine mandate: New safety rules
3 years, 3 months ago

California student COVID vaccine mandate: New safety rules

LA Times  

California is again on the leading edge of vaccine mandates, requiring all eligible public and private schoolchildren to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The mandate could take effect for students between grades 7 through 12 as early as January if there is full federal approval before then for a COVID-19 vaccine for children age 12 to 15. In a 7-2 decision, …

Newsom sets COVID vaccine mandate across California schools
3 years, 3 months ago

Newsom sets COVID vaccine mandate across California schools

LA Times  

The COVID vaccine mandate would apply to students 12 and older after they become eligible for a fully approved vaccine. The mandate would take effect for grades seven through 12, starting with the school term following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s full approval of the vaccine for children ages 12 and older, Gov. “The governor missed an opportunity to …

California school COVID-19 vaccine mandate: What to know
3 years, 3 months ago

California school COVID-19 vaccine mandate: What to know

LA Times  

Gavin Newsom issued a mandate Friday requiring all eligible public and private school students in California to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Here are the basics of how it will work: The mandate would take effect for grades 7 through 12 the semester after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s full approval of the vaccine for children 12 and older. The …

California lawmakers shelve vaccine bills -- for now
3 years, 4 months ago

California lawmakers shelve vaccine bills -- for now

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s progressive state Legislature has shelved bills aimed at requiring workers to either be vaccinated or get weekly coronavirus testing to keep their jobs, punting on a debate about vaccine mandates just days before the state’s Democratic governor faces a recall election. “While I’m disappointed we will not be passing a bill that would have created greater …

Op-Ed: The next threat on the horizon: Religious exemptions from vaccine mandates
3 years, 4 months ago

Op-Ed: The next threat on the horizon: Religious exemptions from vaccine mandates

LA Times  

Hundreds of protesters rally against vaccination mandates outside of the Michigan State Capitol on Aug. 6, in Lansing, Mich. I have recently thought of her, as colleagues at hospitals, universities and other employers around the country report they are becoming deluged with requests for religious exemptions to new vaccine mandates. Even Christian Scientists tell members to “respect” public health officials …

Democratic lawmakers drop idea for a California statewide vaccine mandate
3 years, 4 months ago

Democratic lawmakers drop idea for a California statewide vaccine mandate

LA Times  

Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, shown in 2020, said she will not pursue a proposal this year for a vaccine mandate. Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks said she will not pursue the proposal this year after drafts of her bill language were leaked last week, saying she needed more time to craft “the strongest bill possible.” However, dropping the proposal before the Legislature adjourns …

California lawmakers grapple with whether to impose a statewide COVID-19 vaccination mandate
3 years, 4 months ago

California lawmakers grapple with whether to impose a statewide COVID-19 vaccination mandate

LA Times  

Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks wears a face mask as she calls on lawmakers to approve a measure to place a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot to allow state legislators to vote remotely during emergencies. “I think that the Legislature doing this takes a little bit of heat off of the governor, but at the end of the day, the buck …

FDA vaccine approval is a shot in arm for President Biden’s COVID campaign
3 years, 4 months ago

FDA vaccine approval is a shot in arm for President Biden’s COVID campaign

LA Times  

FDA’s approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine comes at a key time for Biden, with Americans growing disenchanted with his handling of the pandemic. The battle against COVID-19 passed a regulatory milestone Monday when the Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to Pfizer’s vaccine, a decision that could boost President Biden’s effort to control the pandemic. Although Americans may …

California bill would limit protests at vaccination sites. Is that constitutional?
3 years, 5 months ago

California bill would limit protests at vaccination sites. Is that constitutional?

LA Times  

A proposal sailing through the California Legislature that aims to stop people from getting harassed outside vaccination sites is raising alarms among some 1st Amendment experts. “I think it’s pretty shocking that a state legislature would try to enact this kind of restriction on fully protected speech this way,” Volokh said. And when protesters show up claiming they’re there to …

California to require vaccine or testing for state workers
3 years, 5 months ago

California to require vaccine or testing for state workers

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California will require millions of health care workers and state employees to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or get tested weekly, announcing a broad measure Monday to try to slow rising coronavirus infections in the nation’s most populous state, mostly among the unvaccinated. Los Angeles County, the nation’s most populous, has reimposed an indoor mask mandate, …

12 California legislators won’t say if they’ve been vaccinated. Should they be forced to?
3 years, 6 months ago

12 California legislators won’t say if they’ve been vaccinated. Should they be forced to?

LA Times  

Not all California legislators have disclosed whether they’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19. “I’m not going to, because it’s my choice,” said state Sen. Brian Dahle, when asked Monday about why he refused to disclose whether he’s vaccinated against COVID-19. At least three other legislators who also became infected with COVID-19 last year told The Times they have received a vaccination: …

California reopening: Why officials say it’s safer this time around
3 years, 7 months ago

California reopening: Why officials say it’s safer this time around

LA Times  

Cielo worker Aurora Pedro, left, talks about COVID-19 vaccines with Francisco Hernandez, a worker in the Selecto Plaza Mall in Los Angeles on Saturday. Now, California is reporting an average of fewer than 1,000 new coronavirus cases per day over the most recent seven-day period, according to data compiled by The Times. California’s latest seven-day average of 899 new coronavirus …

Connecticut ends its state religious vaccine exemption
3 years, 8 months ago

Connecticut ends its state religious vaccine exemption

Associated Press  

Connecticut will no longer allow a religious exemption from childhood immunization requirements for schools, colleges and day care facilities, becoming the sixth state to end that policy. He called it “far more chilling” to tell a parent how to raise their child than to expose other children to a “nominal risk” of infection, given the state’s high, overall vaccination rate. …

California's public universities to require COVID-19 vaccine
3 years, 8 months ago

California's public universities to require COVID-19 vaccine

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Two of the nation’s largest …

Bill ending religious vaccine exemption now heads to Senate
3 years, 8 months ago

Bill ending religious vaccine exemption now heads to Senate

Associated Press  

A contentious bill that would end Connecticut’s long-standing religious exemption from immunization requirements for schools, beginning with the 2022-23 school year, now awaits action in the state Senate. We do not know when community immunity might be compromised,” said Democratic House Majority Leader Jason Rojas of East Hartford, who compared the situation to the early days of the coronavirus pandemic …

California releases details on how millions can get COVID-19 vaccinations beginning Monday
3 years, 10 months ago

California releases details on how millions can get COVID-19 vaccinations beginning Monday

LA Times  

Four days before an estimated 4.4 million Californians with disabilities or underlying health conditions become eligible for the vaccine, the California Public Health Department released guidance on the verification process. Those include people who use regional centers, independent living centers, in-home supportive services, community-based adult services, Medi-Cal HIV/AIDS waivers, Medi-Cal home and community-based alternatives waivers, Medi-Cal assisted living waivers, program …

Californians Taking Advantage Of Vaccine Rules For Parents With Disabled Kids
3 years, 11 months ago

Californians Taking Advantage Of Vaccine Rules For Parents With Disabled Kids

NPR  

Californians Taking Advantage Of Vaccine Rules For Parents With Disabled Kids Parents of children with disabilities qualify for the COVID-19 vaccine in California. FORTIER: In January, the California Department of Developmental Services issued a letter saying that parents like Madrigal are considered health workers and immediately qualify for the vaccine. LA County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer says people were …

Teachers at a Los Angeles private school got Covid-19 vaccines – even though they weren’t eligible under county guidelines
3 years, 11 months ago

Teachers at a Los Angeles private school got Covid-19 vaccines – even though they weren’t eligible under county guidelines

CNN  

CNN — Some teachers at a Los Angeles private school were able to get Covid-19 vaccines despite not meeting the vaccine eligibility requirements set by the county health department. In the meantime, the health department said in a statement to CNN Thursday, “All sites should be vaccinating health care workers and people 65+ and if they have a significant quantity …

California opens COVID vaccine to disabled, high-risk people
3 years, 11 months ago

California opens COVID vaccine to disabled, high-risk people

LA Times  

California officials said Friday that people ages 16 to 64 who are disabled or at high risk for morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 will be eligible for vaccination beginning next month. When asked about the state’s announcement, Dr. Paul Simon, chief science officer for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, said he hopes many of the county’s providers …

Californians with disabilities are outraged over vaccine de-prioritization
3 years, 11 months ago

Californians with disabilities are outraged over vaccine de-prioritization

LA Times  

Ntombi Peters has severe asthma and takes immunosuppressant drugs to treat her multiple sclerosis. “It’s very disheartening.” Like most states, California had previously planned to deliver vaccines in tiers, with essential workers and people with certain high-risk medical conditions prioritized over healthy, low-risk adults. “Clearly, we are living in a culture that still sees people like me as disposable,” said …

California allows residents 65 and older to get COVID-19 vaccine, but doses remain limited
4 years ago

California allows residents 65 and older to get COVID-19 vaccine, but doses remain limited

LA Times  

Syringes containing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine sit in a tray in a vaccination room at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange. In Los Angeles, public health officials said people 65 and older won’t have access to the vaccine until the county finishes vaccinating front-line workers. “We’re not done with our healthcare workers,” said LA County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer, adding …

Vaccine exemption rates among US kindergartners continue to climb, CDC says
5 years, 2 months ago

Vaccine exemption rates among US kindergartners continue to climb, CDC says

CNN  

CNN — There has been a small increase in vaccine exemption rates among kindergarteners in the United States, according to a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Measles outbreaks affecting school-age children across multiple states during the 2018-19 school year underscore the importance of both school vaccination requirements for preventing disease spread and school coverage …

Californians strongly back vaccine law in new statewide poll
5 years, 3 months ago

Californians strongly back vaccine law in new statewide poll

LA Times  

Daisi Minor gives an MMR vaccine to Kristian Richard, 1, being held by his mother, Natasha. Californians strongly support a state law creating new oversight of vaccine medical exemptions for schoolchildren in a statewide poll released Monday, with backing across a spectrum of political affiliations, income and education levels, and geography. Still, 67% of conservative voters who participated overwhelmingly supported …

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