Will Your School-Age Child Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19? [POLL]

NEW YORK — It's hard to believe school will be starting soon, and that means there's lots to get done by the time school buses pull up outside your home and whisk your children away for their classes.

One of those things is getting your child all the required immunizations that will allow them to actually be able to attend school with other children.

According to the state health department, children attending day care and pre-kindergarten through 12th grade in New York must receive all required doses of vaccines in order to attend or remain in school. Within 14 days of the first day of school or day care, parents must show proof of their child's up-to-date vaccinations or provide a valid medical exemption from vaccination.

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In order to attend or remain in school or day care, children who are unvaccinated or overdue must receive at least the first dose of all required vaccines within the first 14 days. They also must plan to receive all follow-up doses at the ages and intervals listed in the recommended vaccination schedule.

Required vaccines for day care, pre-K and school attendance are diphtheria and tetanus toxoid-containing vaccine and pertussis vaccine, hepatitis B vaccine, measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, polio vaccine and varicella vaccine. There are additional vaccines for middle school/high school and day care/pre-K.

What's not on the required vaccination list is the vaccine against COVID-19.

Gov. Kathy Hochul recently relaunched #VaxtoSchool, the statewide campaign aimed at increasing COVID-19 vaccination rates among school-aged New Yorkers.

She said, as everyone prepares for the beginning of the school year and fall season, it's important to do everything that can be done to protect the youngest people in the state.

The state has partnered with providers who will organize pop-up vaccination sites. You can also use this link to find a provider for a specific age group.

Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said some children face barriers to receiving COVID-19 vaccines and boosters.

"As children can catch COVID-19 and develop severe disease, and vaccination remains their best protection against the virus and its variants," she said, "I urge all parents and guardians to get their children vaccinated before they head back to school."

Now it's your turn to weigh in on the subject. Vote in our unscientific poll and tell us what you think in the comments.