COVID-19 vaccine now part of CDC’s recommended childhood immunization schedule
By Jennifer Herricks, PhD
What does this mean for my kid(s)? To understand the implications of the recent addition of the COVID-19 vaccine to the CDC’s schedule of recommended childhood immunizations, it is important to understand what these recommendations mean. All vaccines on this schedule are included in the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program. This makes them free to children without insurance, which widens access to lifesaving preventive medicine.
But isn’t the COVID-19 vaccine already free? Currently, yes. However, once the US Government stops paying for these vaccines they will no longer be free. So, adding COVID-19 vaccines to the recommended schedule allows them to remain free to children who qualify for the VFC Program.
Does this mean COVID-19 vaccines are now required for kids to attend school? No. The CDC can only make vaccine recommendations. Decisions to require vaccines for school are made by each state. While state officials use these recommendations from top public health experts to guide their decisions, vaccine requirements for school entry look different from state to state. Louisiana does not require vaccines against rotavirus, Haemophilus influenzae type b (hib), flu, human papillomavirus (HPV), or pneumococcal vaccines, even though they are all on the CDC’s recommended schedule. If the state of Louisiana did decide to require COVID-19 vaccines for school entry, Louisiana parents could opt out, as they can for any vaccine required for school.
It is important for parents to make an informed decision when deciding whether to vaccinate their kids, and know that the risks posed to their children from COVID-19 are much greater than any risk posed by the vaccine. Over 162,000 kids have been hospitalized and over 1,800 have died from COVID-19 in the US since the beginning of the pandemic. In addition, people can be reinfected with COVID-19, increasing the risk of complications and long covid. Vaccination protects against severe disease, complications and long covid.
The COVID-19 vaccines reduce the risk of becoming sick and lower the severity of symptoms if illness is acquired. This allows vaccinated people to clear the infection more quickly and reduces the risk of passing it to others. Many other common vaccines do the same. The safety and efficacy of these FDA authorized COVID-19 vaccines continue to be monitored just as they are for other vaccines. Billions of people have been safely vaccinated and protected from COVID-19. Our kids deserve the same protection.
