By Eric Scott of NJ101.5

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now recommending the COVID-19 vaccine be added to the list of shots required before kids can attend school.

State and local districts have the ultimate say on what is required on the list of immunizations.

New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith (R, NJ-04) is pushing back hard on the CDC's recommendation, and demands President Joe Biden's administration disclose all clinical data the CDC used in making its recommendation.

Read More: NJ can now mandate COVID vaccine to attend school | https://nj1015.com/nj-can-now-mandate-covid-vaccine-to-attend-school/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

"Vaccines currently on the immunization schedule are proven to prevent an illness; this does not," Smith said in a news release.

Click on above image or here to watch this news report.

Gov. Phil Murphy has yet to say whether he plans to add COVID-19 vaccination to the list of required school vaccinations, but there has been support in the legislature for doing so.

NJ Sen. Joe Vitale, D-Middlesex, who chairs the Senate Health Committee, said in 2020, "I believe it ought to be included in that list of vaccines that are required for children."

At the time, Vitale said he would wait until the CDC made its recommendation, but "if the science supports its efficacy," there would be little debate about including it as a requirement.

Smith, however, remains unconvinced.

"Parents are rightly concerned about possible side-effects of the vaccine on their children's health," Smith said.

The congressman also noted that vaccine mandates are far less common in European countries. "The United Kingdom, Denmark and Sweden are moving in the opposite direction," Smith claims, "Recommending that most children not get the vaccination due to low rates of COVID among children and deep concerns over possible serious side-effects.”

The CDC announcement is not a mandate in itself, only a recommendation. The agency says it "represents another step in the nation's recovery," and they will continue to work "to ensure a smooth transition of the COVID-19 vaccination program from emergency response to a routine immunization program activity."

Eric Scott is the senior political director and anchor for New Jersey 101.5.


This article originally ran on Oct. 24, 2022 and can be found in its published form online at:

NJ can now mandate COVID vaccine to attend school | https://nj1015.com/nj-can-now-mandate-covid-vaccine-to-attend-school/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral