COVID-19 vaccinations will be required for Louisiana students under proposed health department rule – The Advocate

Louisiana will require students to get vaccinated against COVID-19, or submit an exemption, to attend schools, daycares and universities, under a pending health department rule that adds the disease to the state-mandated immunization schedule.

It's unclear when exactly the rule will be enforced, though when it does go into effect, it will only apply to age groups that are fully approved by the Food & Drug Administration to get the jab. Kids as young as 5-years-old are currently eligible to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, though so far, full FDA approval has only been granted for those age 16 and up.

Louisianas Office of Public Health alerted the Legislature of the proposed rule change on Sept. 20 when it published a Notice of Intent both online and in the Louisiana Register,a journal that provides access to legal notices from state agencies. It then followed up on Nov. 10 to inform lawmakers that no public comment had been submitted in opposition to the rule.

Under the states rule-making statutes, that set off a 30-day shot clock for the health care committees in the House and Senate to call oversight hearings.

The chair of the House Committee on Health & Welfare, state Rep. Larry Bagley, said lawmakers plan to hold such a hearing on Dec. 6. His counterpart in the upper chamber, Sen. Fred Mills, said the Senate doesn't plan to gather for an oversight hearing at this time.

Students are already required under state law to be immunized against certain vaccine-preventable diseases before attending public and private K-12 schools, daycares, universities and colleges. The Legislature delegates responsibility for curating that list to the state health department.

To enter kindergarten, for example, students must be vaccinated against polio, diphtheria, tetanus, Chickenpox, Hepatitis B, the Whooping Cough, measles, mumps and rubella. Another round of shots is required before entering 6th grade to boost immunity and stave off meningitis.

Still, Louisiana offers broad exemptions from those mandates. A student or guardian can submit a written dissent to opt out of the immunization requirement. Or they can provide a letter from a physician stating that a particular vaccine isnt advised for medical reasons. The state Department of Education even provides a stock exemption form online.

Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today.

Bagley, R-Stonewall, said the exemptions should offer comfort to those who aren't interested in getting the COVID-19 shot. All you need to do is say, No, Im not going to take it, Bagley said.

Still, Bagley said he plans to vote against approving the new rule. To stop the rule from being adopted, a majority of the members of both oversight committees, as well as the governor, would have to agree that the proposed rule was unacceptable.

Mills, chair of the Senate Health & Welfare Committee, said the proposed rule isn't the sort of major change that warrants an oversight hearing, noting that there's still ample opportunity for students to opt-out.

"Theyre not changing their policies of the freedoms of parents to decide if a vaccination is appropriate for their child," said Mills, R-Park.

Gov. John Bel Edwards repeatedly said that he planned to move forward with adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the immunization schedule, once it received full approval from the FDA. That approval came at the end of August, just as Louisiana was recovering from it's fourth surge of the deadly virus.

Eighteen children in Louisiana under the age of 18 have died of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, according to health department data.

"We strongly encourage everyone who is eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine to protect themselves and those around them," said Aly Neel, a health department spokesperson. "We know parents and families want to make the best possible decisions for themselves and their children, which is why we encourage them to reach out to their healthcare providers with any questions they might have."

Follow this link:

COVID-19 vaccinations will be required for Louisiana students under proposed health department rule - The Advocate