GOP governors oppose CDC, refuse to implement Covid vaccine requirements for kids

Following the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Thursday vote to add the Covid-19 vaccine to the agency's child and adolescent immunization schedule, multiple governors have said their states will not follow the recommendation.

ACIP committee members voted unanimously to add the vaccine to the schedule, recommending the "use of COVID-19 vaccines for everyone ages 6 months and older." Several states are expected to adopt this guideline as a mandate, including New York, which mandates other vaccines for schoolchildren based on CDC guidelines.

New York's official health website states that parents must "show proof of their child's up-to-date vaccinations," unless they have a medical exemption, within 14 days of the first day of K-12 school or daycare. On the same page, it says "the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) establishes the recommended vaccine schedule and determines when vaccines are due."

Florida, on the other hand, has already made it clear that Covid vaccines will not be mandated in schools.

"As long as I'm kicking and screaming, there will be no Covid shot mandates for your kids," said Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis at a Thursday press conference. "That is your decision to make as a parent… by and large, most parents in Florida have opted against doing these booster shots, particularly for the young kids."

"The surgeon general of Florida does not recommend this for young kids, kids under 18. And basically, his reason for that is there's not really a proven benefit for that, I mean, we can get into some of the potential side effects, but it's a free state, parents can make the other decision if that's what they want. The important thing is that school districts are not mandating this choice," the governor added.

Many have called on New York's unelected Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul to make the same definitive statement, including The Post Millennial's Libby Emmons.

Hochul did not respond. The Post Millennial also reached out to California Gov. Gavin Newsom's communications team, who did not respond to a request for comment.

Virginia's Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin joined DeSantis in coming out against vaccine mandates, as did Iowa's governor, fellow Republican Kim Reynolds.

In addition, GOP Michigan gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon also released a statement, writing that it's "liberal policymakers" who are pushing the Covid vaccines on our children, and "forcing parents out of the process, despite limited clinical evidence to support their claims."