Newsom: California To Mandate Vaccine for Students Aged 12 to 17

Loathsome Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday that California will require all public school students aged 12 to 17 to receive the vaccine once the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) fully authorizes it for the age group. That was the emergency order Newsom had teased. Worth the hype?

Newsom says the state will issue the mandate in the next school term following the FDA's authorization. Meaning January 1, 2022, at the earliest, and July 1, 2022, at the latest.

"We need to do more, and we need to do better," Newsom says. Got that?

In addition, California will now require full vaccination for public school staffers. Until recently, the state allowed teachers and school staff members to submit to regular COVID-19 testing in place of getting the vaccine. Newsom killed that option.

Currently, only students 16 and older are eligible for the COVID vaccine. As for children 5 to 11, Pfizer plans to apply for authorization imminently. The AP reports that shots could be available for that group around Thanksgiving under an emergency-use authorization.

Then there are the students who will choose to remain unvaccinated. Newsom says not to worry: you guys can enroll in a fully online school, even though he acknowledges that online schooling is not working.