A Democrat-sponsored bill in Pennsylvania would require parents to collect vaccine information from a medical professional prior to submitting any formal objections to school vaccine requirements.
If passed through the Pennsylvania House and Senate, the legislation wouldn't have any age restrictions for minors in various levels of schooling and would apply to school years starting more than six months after the bill goes into effect.
The mandate from Senate Bill 390 would oblige parents submitting a religious or moral objection to vaccine requirements to garner authorization from a medical official who's certified to administer vaccines.
That medical professional, in turn, would have to provide parents with "scientifically accepted information" regarding the risks and benefits of getting a vaccine.
In the present, Pennsylvania requires only a signed letter from parents stating their moral or religious objection to getting a vaccine.
Last June, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as 6 months old.
However, Pennsylvania does not require schoolchildren to be vaccinated for COVID-19.
State Sen. Judith Schwank, a Democrat, is the sponsor of the state Senate bill.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 31 million children and adolescents in the United States — ages 6 months to 17 years old — have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Conversely, 41 million children in the U.S. — ages 6 months to 17 years old — haven't had any doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
For adolescents ranging from ages 12-17:
- 17.9 million have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
- 15.3 million have completed the 2-dose vaccination series.
- And roughly 8.3 million have yet to receive their first COVID-19 vaccine dose.
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