CDC votes to add COVID-19 shot to program of recommended childhood vaccines

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) voted Wednesday to add the COVID-19 vaccination to America’s list of recommended childhood vaccines, Yahoo News reports. States are not obliged to follow CDC vaccine recommendations.

The unanimous vote was made by the CDC’s advisory committee (ACIP), which comprises a panel of 15 medical and scientific experts tasked with recommending vaccines for the general public, Yahoo said. The members were selected by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

The ACIP recommendation has been sent to CDC Director Rochelle Walenksy and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for approval. Once approved, the COVID-19 shot will be added to the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program.

“[The] incorporation of the COVID-19 vaccine in the immunization schedule and the vaccines for children or VFC program is an important step in the inclusion of COVID-19 vaccines in a routine vaccination program,” Dr. Sara Oliver, member of the CDC’s ACIP, said in a statement.

Some states do require vaccinations for entry to school, and the COVID-19 shot may be mandatory in such cases.

“State laws establish vaccination requirements for school children,” the CDC explains on its website.

“These laws often apply not only to children attending public schools but also to those attending private schools and day care facilities,” the CDC says. Other states may have no such vaccine requirements, however.

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