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By Aaron McDade
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Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said Tuesday the COVID vaccine will be added to the immunization schedule for schools and colleges in the state, overriding a previous 13-2 vote against the decision.
Edwards, a Democrat, sent a letter to the House Health and Welfare Committee on Tuesday to inform them of his decision, stating eligible students will be required to be vaccinated in time for the 2022-23 school year or file for an exemption.
He criticized "misleading and conspiratorial rhetoric" about the pandemic and the vaccine and reiterated that under the current plan, only students who the vaccine has been fully approved for by the Food and Drug Administration will be required to be vaccinated. The current age threshold is 16.
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However, if the FDA does expand the approvals to a wider age range, Louisiana's requirements could change.
To support his decision, Edwards pointed to the 19 reported COVID deaths among children during the pandemic, while zero have died from getting vaccinated. He also said the requirement will accept a fairly wide scope of exemptions, giving parents the chance to decide if their child should get vaccinated or not and file paperwork to avoid it.
"No child will be forced to be vaccinated against the will of his or her parents," the governor wrote.
The decision will likely attract lawsuits from Republicans and others in the state who oppose the requirement.
"The development of the COVID-19 vaccines in time to help us put this pandemic behind us also requires us to do everything we can to add COVID-19 to the list of diseases that no longer pose a serious threat. This rule does just that, and it should remain in place," Edwards wrote to Rep. Larry Bagley, a Republican who chairs the House health committee.
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"While not unexpected, it's very disappointing. We're reviewing any and all options we might have," House Speaker Clay Schexnayder, a Gonzales Republican, said in a statement after the governor released his decision.
Schexnayder and Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry said they don't believe the Edwards administration has the authority to add the coronavirus vaccine to the immunization schedule without a legislative vote.
The committee "determined that the proposed rule is not advisable, is unacceptable and is outside the scope of authority granted to LDH by the constitution and laws of this state," the House committee said in its written objection to the governor and the Louisiana Department of Health.
Already, many of Louisiana's colleges have begun requiring the vaccine — or an exemption request.
Across a daylong committee hearing last week, some lawmakers and members of the public repeated misinformation about the risks of the coronavirus illness and the vaccine. Other lawmakers called the governor's plan governmental overreach that meddles in family decision-making. They said they had been inundated with complaints about adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the immunization schedule for schools.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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