U.S. schools unlikely to mandate COVID-19 vaccines anytime soon

Pfizer (PFE.N) and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine was authorized for use in children as young as 12 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration this week - but do not expect schools to require shots for students anytime soon given public hesitation and political hurdles.

State governments for the most part can order a vaccine be required for a child to attend a K-12 public school, said Dorit Rubinstein Reiss, a University of California-Hastings law professor who researches school mandates and the legal issues around vaccines.

In all but a handful of states, a measure must pass the full legislature to be added to the mandatory vaccine list, Reiss said. No state government has mandated COVID-19 immunizations for schools, she added.

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/no-shot-us-schools-unlikely-mandate-covid-19-vaccines-anytime-soon-2021-05-13/