Hundreds rally against flu vaccine mandate

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• A massive number of protesters took to the streets on Sunday to oppose a new Massachusetts flu vaccine order released on Aug. 19 amid the COVID-19 crisis.
• Several attendees decried the order saying parents should be the ones to make the choice rather than being ordered to do so.
• The new rule required 6-month old children and older attending Massachusetts child care up to K-12 in the state to receive flu immunizations. 

Hundreds of demonstrators rallied on Sunday to oppose a new Massachusetts flu vaccine mandate as school districts are set to reopen in the coming weeks. 

Protesters held signs that read “My child, my choice,” “Parents call the shots” and “I am not a threat,” while others used chalk to write messages that said “No Forced Shots” on the street fronting the Massachusetts State House in Boston.

Videos and photos taken from the event showed several attendees without masks and social distancing.

The demonstration follows after Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker released an August 19 directive that required all children from ages 6 months and older attending the state’s child care, pre-school, kindergarten, and K-12 to get flu shots. The mandate also applied to all full-time undergraduate and graduate students under 30 as well as full and part-time health science students in schools in the state.

“The flu vaccine should not be a mandate. It should be a choice,” argued Jessica Marchant to ABC Boston affiliate WCVB. Several others told the station that they believe state officials are just “taking advantage” of the fear brought about by the pandemic.

Taryn Proulx told WCVB, “I think parents are vulnerable right now. We feel like we have to just comply or rearrange our whole lives and homeschool our children.”

In addition, the directive also stated that students including remote elementary and secondary students must be vaccinated yearly by December 31. Medical or religious exemptions are allowed as well as home-schooled college students.

Medical experts told ABC News that the order comes as health workers prepare for the “twindemic” of COVID-19 and the flu, where children particularly those under 5 years old are at the highest risk of incurring severe flu-related complications.

In a statement announcing the flu requirement, Dr. Larry Madoff of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences said it is essential to get a flu vaccine due to its symptoms being similar to those of the Coronavirus. “Preventing the flu will save lives and preserve health care resources.”

According to the CDC, 81 percent of children from ages 6 months to 17 years along with 53.5% of adults received the vaccine during the 2018-2019 flu season.  

A study from the Immunization Action Coalition reveals that Massachusetts is the first state to require the flu vaccine for all children and is also among a few states that had been mandating it for child care. 

Source: ABC News