California to require coronavirus vaccines for schoolchildren
- The new rules will take effect as early as January, but the FDA must first fully approve inoculations for the age groups
- Governor Gavin Newsom’s announcement means California will be the first to mandate statewide vaccinations for pupils
California will become the first US state to mandate statewide Covid-19 vaccinations for schoolchildren as early as January, Governor Gavin Newsom said on Friday.
But first the US Food and Drug Administration must fully approve inoculations for their age groups, he said.
The Democrat made the announcement at a news briefing as the United States approached the grim threshold of 700,000 Covid-19 deaths.
The country has reported an average of more than 2,000 deaths per day over the past week, which represents about 60 per cent of the peak in fatalities in January, a Reuters analysis of public health data showed.
The United States leads the world in Covid-19 cases and deaths, accounting for 19 per cent and 14 per cent of all reported infections and fatalities, according to the Reuters tally. Globally, the pandemic is set to surpass 5 million deaths.