MD Patch Readers Say No To Student COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate, Vaccinating Kids

MARYLAND — Survey says: Maryland students should not be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine in order to attend public or private school.

In a Patch survey, 58.1 percent of readers responded that they do not think a vaccine should be required for students. Fifty-six percent said teachers should not be required to get the vaccine either.

"People should be allowed a choice if they want to get the vaccine," one Patch reader wrote in the survey. "It should not be mandated."

Another respondent agreed, saying it should be up to the child's guardians, not the government.

"We believe all vaccines should be determined by all parents, guardians and their attending physicians," the reader wrote.

"As a parent I want options for my kids," another person said. "I would like to wait until more vaccines become available before making a decision."

This survey was an informal collection of Patch readers' opinions. It was not a scientific survey, and its results should not be treated as such.

Just over 41 percent of respondents said they thought the vaccines should be required for students in school. Nearly 43 percent said teachers should be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

"We need to protect those who can’t protect themselves," one person wrote in the survey. "I’m embarrassed by our country’s inability to do this when we have a readily available vaccine."

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"School systems have long required vaccinations for a host of illnesses such as measles and polio," another respondent wrote. "As a result, those diseases have been all but eradicated. Why should COVID be different? Simple answer: It shouldn't."

Many school districts in Maryland have created their own teacher vaccine mandates, such as Montgomery County and Howard County. Some school leaders have said the reasoning behind it was to protect young students who are not eligible for any of the COVID-19 vaccines.

The Pfizer vaccine is awaiting approval from the Food and Drug Administration, and some states are preparing for the rollout of the vaccine for kids. Most Maryland Patch readers said that when it becomes approved, they will not get the shots for their child. One parent who said they would not get it for their child said it should be left up to the parents and the child's doctor.

"Medical care should be decided with the physician," the parent wrote. "I understand there are required vaccines, however, if a person cannot get it they are exempt. These mandates are an all or nothing push. It should be treated just like the flu vaccine — recommend but not required."

Nearly 60 percent of parents who responded said they would not have their child vaccinated for COVID, while 34.2 percent said yes and 6.8 percent said they weren't sure. One parent said they understood why people might be uneasy, but vaccine requirements are nothing new.

"In order to attend kindergarten children need to have certain vaccines, this would just be an add on," the parent wrote. "Now I do understand the hesitation on giving it children when it’s such a new vaccine. But keep in mind every vaccine that is already being given, without much hesitation, was once a new vaccine."