DOH Board Votes Against Making COVID Vaccines Mandatory for K-12

In what was a close vote, the Washington State Board of Health (advisory board) voted against adding COVID to the list of mandatory vaccines for K-12 students.

Board voted down idea, had run into firestorm of opposition in January

You may recall just after the beginning of the year, the Advisory Board was considering adding COVID to the vaccine list, but then thanks to efforts from several legislators who spread the word about their upcoming meeting, the idea ran into a wall.

  They held a public online meeting on January 12th and saw hundreds of people sign u to testify, and several thousand signed up to watch online.

State House Rep Jim Walsh (R-Aberdeen) was one of the legislators who spread the word throughout social media and news releases. The majority of those who testified in January, and many at the board meeting Thursday (February 24) said they were not in favor.

  Omicron, Delta, evading existing vaccines, and questions about safety prompt parents to be leery.

Almost daily, more medical research has shown the current COVID vaccines do little to stop Omicron, they also were not able to prevent Delta with the same degree they were the original virus. That, plus parental concerns over rising numbers of health concerns especially among teens prompted many parents to voice opposition.

However, the full state health board still has to take the advisory panel's recommendation before they vote on the matter soon.