Alaska Gov. Dunleavy is part of a chorus of Republican governors who sat they won’t adopt the Covid-19 vaccine as a required shot for children enrolled in Alaska schools.
“There are not, nor will there be Covid vaccine mandates for the following reasons,” he said in a note to Must Read Alaska. “CDC cannot mandate them. HSS would have to change regs. They will not. They know my position. Statute would have to be passed by the legislature as well. Won’t happen. I would have to sign it. Won’t happen.”
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee voted unanimously to recommend a Covid vaccine as part of the regular required schedule for children, who already have a long list of vaccination requirements for school attendance. But even when CDC Director Rochelle Walensky signs off on the order, the matter is still left to the states. Some states have laws that automatically trigger mandates upon the recommendation of the CDC. But not Alaska.
Several other governors — all Republican — have said the Covid vaccine will not be added to their state schedules for children. They include Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who said, “I get a kick out of it when people kind of compare it to (measles, mumps and rubella shots) and things that have been around for decades and decades. These are new shots.”
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said, “Under my watch, there will be no COVID vaccine mandates for kids — period. In fact, we signed a law that prevents it. It’s the parent’s decision, not the government’s.”
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The Informed Consent Action Network, a Texas-based group that promotes transparency in health information and fights medical coercion, said it will sue any state that adds the mandate for children.
