Maryland covid vaccine6/3/2023 ![]() It’s not a huge infringement and it works pretty well. “It’s one of the easiest things you can do. “In the case of masks, it seems really simple,” said Salmon. The Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive and Legislative review is scheduled to vote on the mask regulations on Sept. ![]() ![]() The Maryland State Board of Education last week passed emergency regulations that, if approved by a legislative committee in September, would require the use of masks in all school buildings. There is currently no statewide vaccination requirement for teachers, but a number of jurisdictions - including Howard and Prince George’s counties - are requiring teachers to prove they’ve been vaccinated or submit to weekly testing. “We want to leave this open to a broader conversation,” said Pinsky. Included in the debate, he said should be discussions about mandating vaccinations for school staff and students. Paul Pinsky, chair of the committee, said lawmakers are interested in finding ways of “protecting our children, protecting school staff and indirectly protecting the community at large.” Lawmakers in recent weeks have raised questions about requiring vaccinations first among teachers but also for the eligible student population as a condition of entering the classroom. “So I have to focus on the health side of it. “I have to be honest, if I focused on the political piece of it, I’d never be able to make a decision,” said Goldson. Prince George’s County Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Monica Goldson dismissed the politics. Mary Washington, D-Baltimore, said Salmon’s argument is “a political question about keeping our kids safe versus a public health reality.” “I would argue and many would agree, you need more (public) confidence in the safety than to just simply make (the vaccine) available.” “I think the burden for safety is higher to make it mandatory than it is to make it authorized or licensed,” he said. And while children ages 12 and over can get vaccinated under an emergency authorization, full approval may not come before the end of the year.Įven that final approval may not be enough to tip the scales in favor of mandating children to be vaccinated just yet, Salmon said. We could be in a place where the benefits outweigh the risks so there would be an ethical and perhaps even legal argument for mandating, it but if pragmatically it creates great backlash you may not actually accomplish much other than to undermine confidence in the program.”Ĭurrently, the Pfizer vaccine is fully approved for use in adults. “The premature effort really undermined the immunization program for decades. “The HPV vaccine is really a great lesson in that,” said Salomon. “I think I would probably start with teachers than with children.”Ī premature mandate could result in strong political backlash, he added. “I think the argument for teachers is more compelling than it is for children, both because it is a workplace issue and therefore a requirement for employment versus a child who is in a vulnerable population,” said Salmon during a briefing Monday with the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee. Daniel Salmon, director of the Institute for Vaccine Safety at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Monday warned legislators that requiring such vaccinations for children could be complicated. Paul Pinsky, chair of the Senate committee, said lawmakers are interested in finding ways of “protecting our children, protecting school staff and indirectly protecting the community at large.” (The Daily Record/File Photo)Ī top virus expert is warning Maryland lawmakers to proceed cautiously before mandating coronavirus vaccinations for public school students.Īs children return to in-class learning, there has been growing discussion over requiring students and teachers to be vaccinated.
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