CDC panel recommends adding COVID shots to vaccination schedule, but school mandates in NY would require local action

COVID-19 shots should be added to both the childhood and adult vaccination schedules for 2023, according to an advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The agency’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Thursday unanimously voted to add the coronavirus vaccine to next year’s list, which also includes shots for the flu, measles, polio, as well as mumps and rubella, among others.

The committee meets on an annual basis to review and update the schedule to provide doctors better guidance on which shots should be prioritized and administered, particularly in regards to children.

The decision to officially update the inoculation list now lies with the CDC. The agency is expected to sign off on the recommendation, though it is not required to do so. Officials have also emphasized that should the agency opt to formally adopt the policy, it will not equate to a vaccine mandate.

The CDC does not have the authority to mandate vaccines. That decision rests with state and local officials.

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In New York State, a spokesperson for the state Department of Health said the state’s list of required immunizations is set by state law. Any change — including adding the COVID-19 shot to the mandatory list — would need to be passed by the state legislature and signed into law by Gov. Hochul.

Statements earlier this week by Fox News’ Tucker Carlson around that issue prompted pushback from the CDC. Carlson expressed concern about the panel’s vote, claiming kids “will not be able to attend school without taking the COVID shot.”

The CDC emphasized a recommendation was not the same thing as a mandate.

“Moving COVID-19 to the recommended immunization schedule does not impact what vaccines are required for school entrance, if any,” Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said Thursday, per NBC News.

“Local control matters. And we honor that the decision around school entrance for vaccines rests where it did before, which is with the state level, the county level, and at the municipal level if it exists at all.”

“This discussion does not change that,” he added.

–– With David Goldiner