COVID-19 Child Vaccine Recommended By Panel, CT Governor Candidates Weigh In

CONNECTICUT — The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory panel recommended adding the coronavirus vaccine to the childhood immunization schedule.

The CDC director would also need to approve the addition of the vaccine to the schedule. Ultimately, it’s up to states to decide which vaccines are mandated for school attendance.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowski said he would oppose a school mandate for the coronavirus vaccine.

"If I am elected governor, the state of CT will never mandate the COVID vaccine for schoolchildren, public or private employees, or anyone else," Stefanowski tweeted Thursday morning. "Actual science, not political science, should inform our public health decisions."

Gov. Ned Lamont also said he wanted to do childhood coronavirus vaccines on a voluntary basis, according to News 12's Josh Craven. He encouraged parents to vaccinate their children against the coronavirus and flu this season.

Public Health Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani issued a statement late Thursday on the CDC panel's recommendation.

"I want to stress that this vote does not create a mandate for COVID-19 vaccines for children to attend school. This is a recommendation that is part of the standard process for every routine childhood vaccine that is covered under the VFC program," Juthani said. "This vote simply means that once COVID-19 vaccines are commercialized and no longer available under the Federal Government’s National COVID-19 Response, VFC providers will be able to order the vaccines through the Vaccines for Children program. "

"Equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for all ages and populations remains critically important," Juthani said. "The VFC program is a federally funded program that provides vaccines at no cost to children who might not otherwise be vaccinated due to an inability to pay. The Connecticut Department of Public Health encourages parents to vaccinate their children 6 months through 17 years old for COVID-19. Updated boosters for eligible children 5 years of age and older also should be administered at least two months following primary vaccination.

"Respiratory viruses circulate during the colder months and with people spending more time indoors, now is the time to receive an extra level of protection which targets these variants and prevents transmission of this virus. Parents can make an appointment with their child’s pediatrician or visit www.vaccines.gov to find a provider," Juthani said. "Additionally, immunizations are safe and highly effective at protecting children from vaccine preventable illnesses, Vaccines prevent children from getting infections in school and from spreading them to their families and other children, including children with medical conditions that make them more susceptible to severe illness from diseases such as influenza, measles and whooping cough."

Coronavirus update for CT

Connecticut's coronavirus metrics remained mostly stable this week. There were 2,876 cases reported and a positive test rate of 8.69 percent over the past week. There are 405 people hospitalized with the virus, which is the same number as last Thursday. The state also reported 21 COVID-19 related deaths over the past week.

Related: CT Releases School-By-School Vaccination Data

The issue of the CDC’s panel's recommendation has become the topic of misinformation this week.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson tweeted that, “The CDC is about to add the Covid vaccine to the childhood immunization schedule, which would make the vax mandatory for kids to attend school.”

The CDC tweeted back at Carlson that, “Thursday, CDC's independent advisory committee (ACIP) will vote on an updated childhood immunization schedule. States establish vaccine requirements for school children, not ACIP or CDC.”

Twitter also added context below the tweet that said, “The CDC immunization schedule is a guideline for commonly recommended childhood vaccinations. Actual required vaccinations are determined by the states, not mandated nationally.”

CDC advisors voted Wednesday to add coronavirus vaccines to the Vaccines for Children program, which provides doses at no cost for children who are Medicaid-eligible, uninsured and under insured.

The federal government won’t offer COVID-19 vaccines for free starting next year. Adding the vaccine to the ACIP recommended list generally mandates that health insurance companies pay for them, according to the Washington Post.

Coronavirus vaccination rates are lower for children than in the U.S. About 32 percent of children 5 to 11 and 61 percent 12 to 17 are fully vaccinated, according to the New York Times. Nearly three out of four adults between 18 and 64 are vaccinated.

Connecticut fares better than the national average with 46 percent of children 5 to 11, 79 percent 12 to 17 and 87 percent of adults 18 to 64 fully vaccinated.

Check town-by-town COVID-19 case updates below, or click here.