The Los Angeles school district, the second largest in the United States, is expected to decide Thursday, September 9 to require all students at least twelve years old to be vaccinated against Covid-19 if they wish to attend a school public.
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This vote by district officials concerns some 600,000 young people, a first on such a scale in the country.
It comes as the number of contaminations soars in the United States, particularly under the effect of the Delta variant, and the same day that President Joe Biden presents a vast plan to strengthen the American response to the coronavirus pandemic, by making including compulsory vaccination for federal employees.
Support from unions and many parents
The Los Angeles School District's decision, where masks are mandatory both indoors and outdoors, could serve as an example for many others.
Teachers and employees there are already required to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
The motion discussed Thursday afternoon provides that all children physically present in class must have received a first dose of vaccine by November 21, and the second by December 19 at the latest.
A child reaching twelve - the minimum age required for vaccination against Covid-19 in the United States, where it is free and available to all - will have thirty days to receive their first dose.
This provision has received the support of teachers' unions and many parents, but faces fierce opposition from a minority who disputes the validity of vaccination, despite scientific evidence of its effectiveness against severe forms of the disease. Covid-19.
58% of 12-18 year olds received a dose
According to Los Angeles County health officials, about 58% of young people between the ages of 12 and 18 have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Covid-19 "
is a concrete threat to the health and safety of all students within the Los Angeles school district community
" and also undermines the continuity and quality of the education they receive, underlines the motion, which should be adopted by a large majority.
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Wearing a mask and being vaccinated have become political issues that divide many Americans. Some Republican governors even wanted to introduce bans on compulsory mask wearing in their states, invoking the protection of sacrosanct individual freedoms. The coronavirus has infected millions of Americans since the start of the pandemic, killing more than 650,000, a world record.