The CDC has added the Covid-19 vaccine to its list of recommended vaccines for children. The recommendations are not binding, but states and local school systems traditionally have followed these guidelines in determining vaccines required for school attendance. This vaccine will be an exception, though, because many states have passed laws prohibiting local schools from requiring that children receive this vaccine in order to attend. The CDC panel also recommended adding the vaccine to the Vaccines for Children program. That program provides vaccines to low-income children, and the panel move ensures that that funding will continue for that group when the federal government stops paying for the Covid vaccine.
Vaccine law experts acknowledge adding Covid vaccines to the immunization schedule could influence states that are inclined to require them for school entry to do so, and many states use the schedules as guidance for requirements. But the CDC panel's recommendations do not trigger mandates, and 21 states have passed laws prohibiting Covid vaccine mandates for students.
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