State Board of Health Votes to Not Require COVID-19 Shots for School Kids

School kids in Washington State will not be required to have a COVID-19 shot this fall after unanimous agreement by the State Board of Health.

The board unanimously voted to follow the recommendation of an advisory panel Wednesday following a motion from Department of Health Secretary Umair Shah.

"The motion that I would like to make would be that the Board of Health accept the Technical Advisory Group's recommendation not to include COVID-19," said Shah.

The Technical Advisory Board, which had been set up to examine the COVID-19 vaccine, narrowly voted (7-6) against recommending the shots earlier this year.

Washington already requires numerous vaccines for schoolchildren, including shots for polio, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, and chicken pox.

All the Board of Health members followed Shah in expressing support for his motion before unanimously voting to adopt the advisory panel’s recommendation.

Board member Steve Kutz voiced support for the motion, while also criticizing threats made against the board.

“I also want to remind the public that it’s unacceptable to threaten our members, our staff and members of the TAG with their health and their life over something," said Kutz. "I realize these are difficult issues but that is totally unacceptable."

Wednesday's Board of Health meeting included a public comment period, which was dominated by people opposed to a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for school kids, with some appearing to be against the overall use of the vaccination.