Patch Survey: FL Readers Say ‘No’ To Student COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate For In-Person School

FLORIDA — With the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on the verge of being approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for children ages 5 to 11 as early as November, the majority of Floridians who responded to a Patch survey said they think students should not be required to get the vaccine.

More than 2,300 people responded to the online survey last week. While not a scientific poll, the survey presents a broad idea of public sentiment regarding the vaccine for children.

It’s a polarizing topic among readers, one that elicits two vastly different viewpoints.

About 54 percent of those who responded said they think students shouldn’t be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend in-person instruction.

“It is absolutely a matter of personal choice,” one reader from East Lake, Florida commented. “And why kids have to get every (vaccine) out there is beyond me. It’s not about health; it’s about money. This jab doesn’t work and has more negative effects than positive.”

Meanwhile, another reader, in Bradenton, expressed concern about government overreach.

“Once the mandate box is opened, we will never shut it. We are slowly losing our freedoms. It's a slippery slope. The parents should decide what to put in their children's bodies, not the government,” they wrote.

Another 45 percent of respondents said the vaccine said they believed the coronavirus vaccine should be a requirement for attending school.

One reader in New Port Richey, commented, “People are complaining about being mandated to get the vaccine. Think about this: children, in order to go to school, have to have the polio vaccine, the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine. These are required in order for them to go to school. This is no different. ... This is to curtail the spread of a virus that can kill not only you, but people around you. Stop thinking of it as being mandated. Think of it as a necessity to stop the spread of a virus that is crippling our nation. Stop listening to the politicization of the vaccine. Think of it as a means to end a pandemic.

A reader in Bradenton agreed, commenting, “Children are required to get a number of vaccinations. Why shouldn’t COVID-19 be among them? It’s not a matter of personal choice or ‘freedom’; it’s a matter of public health.”

Less than 1 percent of respondents — just .6 percent — were unsure about the topic.

If Florida were to mandate vaccines for students, survey respondents were split on whether it should apply to both private and public schools. About 50 percent said it shouldn’t apply to both, while nearly 48 percent said both public and private school students should be required to get the vaccine if it’s mandated. About 2 percent of respondents were not sure.

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A slight majority of readers — nearly 53 percent of respondents — believe that teachers and school staff shouldn’t be required to get vaccinated. Nearly 47 percent of those who responded, though, believe they should have to receive the vaccine in order to teach in person, while nearly 1 percent of respondents are unsure.

Many parents also indicated they don't plan to have their children vaccinated.

Parents of children under 12 were asked whether they intended to vaccinate their children once a vaccine is approved regardless of a mandate. Of the nearly 700 people who responded to this question, nearly 57 percent said they wouldn’t get their child vaccinated. About 38 percent said they would have their children vaccinated and about 5 percent are still unsure.

Another survey question asked parents of children older than 12 whether they have gotten their children vaccinated or plan to, regardless of a mandate. More than 1,800 people responded to this question. Most of them — about 55 percent — said they wouldn’t have their older children vaccinated. Another 40 percent said they would have children in this age range vaccinated while about 4 percent aren’t certain.