Should Ontario make the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for the school?
The Ontario government has not said whether COVID-19 vaccines should be mandatory for children ages 12-17 when resuming personal schooling, and experts have differing opinions on what to do. Raywat Deonandan, an epidemiologist at the University of Ottawa, said making the vaccine mandatory for children 12 and older before returning to school could have unintended consequences. I would rather cajole, stimulate and educate people to accept the vaccine voluntarily, than forcefully remove them from the law, Deonandan said. Because then we drive people away and maybe push them towards a hardcore anti-vax camp.  In Ontario, school-age children should be immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, meningitis, and whooping cough unless they have a valid exception. Children born in 2010 or later should be vaccinated against chickenpox. As of Monday in Ottawa, 79 percent of young people aged 12-17 have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 20 percent have been fully vaccinated, according to the Ottawa Public Health. This is much higher than the province number of 60 percent with one dose, so there is one push through Ontario to get vaccinatedas many children as possible before a possible return to class in the fall. WATCH | Mandatory vaccinations for students over 12 could reverse consequences, says epidemiologist  Raywat Deonandan, an epidemiologist at the University of Ottawa, says making vaccinations mandatory for students 12 and older can have unintended consequences, pushing parents who are already reluctant to move away. 0:52  Deonandan said he understands some concerns from parents about using a relatively new vaccine for children, but does not share those concerns. He said clinical trials have shown the COVID-19 vaccine to be very effective and safe for children, but wider use will almost inevitably lead to more people experiencing rare side effects and this may incite panic given the age of the population in question. Making it mandatory at this stage of the game can cause more social harm than it produces good public health, Denonandan said. He said ventilation, camouflage and other public health measures should be part of the discussion for this September and adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the mandatory shooting list could be revised next year. Annie Kidder wants the Ontario government to make the COVID-19 vaccine a mandatory requirement for school-age students along with vaccines for polio, measles, mumps and others. (People for Education)  Candidate for compulsory vaccination  Annie Kidder, executive director for People for Education, said a task force of health experts, parents and educators and students should work on the Ontario re-enrollment plan this September including whether the goal should be mandatory. It should be considered a candidate for compulsory vaccination for the same reason that measles, mumps and rubella are on that list, which is that they are all very, very contagious diseases, Kidder said. Especially for adults working in school, they want to know that we have done everything we can from a policy perspective to make schools safer.  Kidder said she would like to see plans to use high schools as accessible vaccine clinics in the first few weeks of returning to class. Karen Littlewood from the Ontario High School Teachers Federation union wants the Ontario government to get its guidance from health experts and the union would support those recommendations. Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontarios chief health officer, is encouraging people between the ages of 12 and 17 to get vaccinated before classes begin in September. (Chris Young / Canadian Press)  Developing provincial plan  Littlewoodalso said the union, whose 20,000 members include teaching support staff as well as high school teachers, would support camouflage to continue in the fall, as well as improved air filtration and smaller classroom sizes. The Ottawa Public Health, which implements the provinces school-age immunization program locally, also referred CBC News to the province as to whether it makes the vaccine mandatory. In an email statement, the Ontario Ministry of Education continued to strongly encourage anyone eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to protect schools and help end the pandemic. She said Minister Stephen Lecce would soon announce the plan to provide a more normal, full-time, personal learning experience, including $ 1.6 billion in spending to improve school safety.