JACKSON, Wyo. — On Thursday, a Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory committee, the Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices (ACIP), voted to recommend to the agency an update to the recommended immunization schedules for children/adolescents to include COVID-19 vaccines.
According to the ACIP presentation on the topic, the recommendation was based on “harmonization between the child/adolescent and the adult schedules.”
According to an Associated Press report, false claims began spreading widely online claiming that if the CDC adds the COVID-19 vaccine to the immunization schedule for children, the shots will be mandatory to attend school.
On Oct. 18, Fox News personality, Tucker Carlson tweeted, “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.”
According to the CDC, “The CDC immunization schedule is a guideline for commonly recommended childhood vaccinations. Actual required vaccinations are determined by the states, not mandated nationally.”
In Wyoming, COVID-19 vaccines will not be mandated by Governor Mark Gordon.
“Regardless of any recommendations made by the CDC, nothing is changing in Wyoming and kids are not required to receive a COVID vaccine to attend school. I will not mandate COVID vaccines for children, and believe COVID-19 vaccination is a personal choice,” Gordon said in a prepared statement.
Charlotte Reynolds, executive director of Communications and District Services for TCSD #1 said in an email, “TCSD follows the state’s immunization requirements, we do not have any additional requirements, including for the COVID-19 vaccine for students or employees. We support families making vaccination decisions that work for their students.”
According to the Teton County Health Department, 91.76% of Teton County’s census population have received their primary COVID-19 vaccination series; 57.81% of residents 5-11 years old have completed their primary series, 94.08% of residents 12-17 years old have completed their primary series and 98.6% of residents 18 years and older have completed their primary series.
As of Oct. 19, there has been one new case reported in the previous two weeks among 5-18-year-old residents.
