Could a mandated school COVID-19 vaccine be feasible?
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas  After a federal judge in Texas tossed out a lawsuit from hospital workers over a vaccination requirement, some are wondering if a school vaccine mandate could be on the way. It's up to individual states and health departments on whether to require them. Doctors say, diseases like smallpox and measles were wiped out through school-mandated immunizations. A COVID-19 vaccine could join the list. "In the past, we had children who were wearing masks, were social distancing, especially in the cafeteria, smaller class sizes," said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center. "That's all going to go away. And we're going to head into the winter with, at least in certain areas, a relatively under-vaccinated population." According to a recent poll, 51 percent of adults say they are in favor of mandating COVID-19 vaccines for middle schoolers, 56 percent for high schoolers and 61 percent for college students. Meanwhile, CDC data shows 15 states have reached President Biden's goal of vaccinating 70 percent of adults against COVID-19 with at least one dose. Thirteen states have fully vaccinated more than half of their residents. And nearly 148 million people -- or 44.5 percent of the United States population - are fully vaccinated. In Texas, almost 56 percent of those 12 and over have received at least one dose  And almost 50 percent are fully vaccinated.