Earlier this month, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced a public health mandate that requires nearly all students in the state to get a flu shot before the end of the calendar year.
The goal behind this requirement, according to Baker, is to reduce flu-related illness while the nation continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health officials fear concurrent outbreaks of the flu and COVID-19 could overwhelm the state’s health care system.
The mandate includes anyone 6 months or older in child care centers, preschool, kindergarten, K-12 schools, and colleges and universities. Students can be exempt if they have a religious or medical exemption, are home-schooled, or are a higher education student living off-campus and taking remote-only classes.
On Sunday, August 30th, protestors gathered outside the State House demanding the order be rescinded. Demonstrators were quoted saying they feel the mandate is an overreach of the government and that they are concerned about losing control of their medical decisions.
What do you think? Should the flu shot be required for Massachusetts students? Vote in our poll and share your comments in the section below!
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I’m shocked this poll favors it, if it can’t be recinded at least make it optional, I’m three years out of high school doing my time off and stuff but I’m not getting no needle for a few classes. I think the kids up to the end of middle school should be waived they’re kids! Give it to the college kids if anything. Some of them are ridiculous they party, go viral for racial remarks if they can do that give them a needle. My opinion I am against this idea. I will spare the anti vaccine lecture lol I think that’s part of why I had a hard time speaking I swear to this day.
This over reach city. Where do you draw the line.
Wisest decision so far. Agree 100% !!
Too bad it would have to be mandatory.
The flu kills about 60,ooo Americans a year. The very young and elderly are the most vulnerable. However I believe that the parents/parent of children should make that decision not politicians or Schools.
Even as a health care worker I do not believe the rights of parents should be stripped when having to make medical decisions for their children. Every year the Flu is a different strain and doesn’t always match up with the shot. Also, there is no guarantee you won’t get the flu just because you got a shot. With that said, do I believe people with weakened immune systems, young children who will be around other children & the elderly should get the shot…YES! But, it should be a choice left to parents and individuals, not mandated. Our Our right to decide what to put in our bodies should not be left up to politicians or strangers. I myself, treat holistically. It should be left up to the parents, but again, I do believe children who are in school, those with underlying health conditions and the elderly should get it, but by choice.
Polio, mumps, measles, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, smallpox etc.
Let’s think about the common good. The flu epidemic combined with the current pandemic would be a tidal wave of disaster.
Common talking point, but false.
Your facts are off (tetanus is not a contagious disease, incidentally). All of those diseases disappeared as a result of improved sanitation, not vaccination. And polio was eradicated by the banning of DDT pesticide spraying. Read David Oshinky’s history of polio.
There are people I know that never got a vaccine of any kind & they never got sick; and there
are also people I know that get Flu Shots every year & get very ill from the shot. If any vaccine is forced upon the public, who is responsible if someone should die? This Pandemic is a new virus that most doctors can’t explain, far too much controversy over something that most doctors know nothing about. Very sad, but true, as far as I am concerned.
This is just a blatant payoff to the pharma lobby (the most powerful lobby in America) that spends lots of $$ on Beacon Hill. Remember, parents cannot sue the doctor or the vaccine manufacturer if the flu shot injures their child because Congress granted pharma companies 100% immunity from civil suits regarding childhood vaccines. Parents must petition the Vaccine Court in D.C. for compensation. Why do you think the teachers don’t have to get the flu shot? (Besides, teacher union influence, there is also the threat of civil suits). Baker should be removed from office over this.
Thank you so much for your comment.
Wonder if it’s possible to get both viruses that once? That’s a super nova of a flu.
Just listing beneficial vaccines not whether or not contagious (e.g. tetanus). DDT wasn’t banned until 1972.
Check out Jonas Salk.
‘In its first few years, the vaccine had a remarkable impact on the number of new cases of polio reported. There were more than 57,000 cases in the United States in 1952, according to the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. A decade later, that number fell to less than a thousand.’