Headline Roundup October 25, 2022
Will COVID-19 Vaccines Be 'Required' Going Forward?
Coronavirus,Misinformation And Disinformation,Facts And Fact Checking,Vaccine Mandates,Coronavirus Vaccine,Media Bias
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Whether COVID-19 vaccines will be "required" going forward is decided by states and local jurisdictions, not federal authorities. But recent remarks from media personalities, federal health advisors, and President Joe Biden have fueled confusion.
For Context: Last week, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisers recommended that the agency add the vaccine to the recommended immunization schedule for everyone ages 6 months and older.
Key Quotes: Tucker Carlson (Right bias) tweeted that the CDC would soon "make the vax mandatory for kids to attend school." And while getting his next COVID-19 booster shot on Tuesday, President Joe Biden said that "for most Americans," a COVID-19 shot "once a year is going to be required," but he didn't clarify further. Both comments are misleading.
Where People Agree: Many news sources from left to right highlighted the distinction that states decide on vaccine requirements, rather than the federal government.
Where People Disagree: One writer for Reason (Lean Right bias) said it would be a "mistake" for the CDC to recommend yearly COVID-19 shots, and argued that though that wouldn't mandate the shots nationally, "many municipalities will be inclined to require whatever the CDC recommends." Some left-rated sources focused more on calling out Carlson for misinformation, with one writer for Washington Post (Lean Left bias) arguing that his comment shows how vaccine critics may encourage "lower vaccination rates, fading trust in federal health officials and other consequences for public health."
Featured Coverage of this Story
CNN Digital
Covid-19 vaccines will be part of recommended immunization schedules in 2023 for both children and adults, after a unanimous vote by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s independent Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
That doesn’t make the vaccines mandatory for anyone, a point that was emphasized in a discussion before Thursday’s vote. The board members addressed concerns from the public that adding Covid-19 vaccinations to the schedule would force schools to require the shots.
“We recognize that there is concern around this, but moving Covid-19 to the recommended immunization schedule does...
Vaccines are added to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s immunization schedule after consultation with an outside advisory group and when the benefits outweigh the risks. Contrary to claims from Tucker Carlson and others, the COVID-19 vaccines will not become mandatory in schools just by being added to the CDC schedule. States and local districts make those determinations.
School-entry vaccination requirements are set by state or local officials, not the CDC or the federal government.
Numerous social media posts, however, claimed otherwise in advance of a two-day CDC vaccine...
President Joe Biden received the latest COVID-19 booster shot on Tuesday and urged people to do the same ahead of a busy holiday season.
“We have a choice to make,” Biden said. “We repeat what happened in the past winters, more infections, more hospitalizations, or loved ones getting sick, even dying from the virus, or can we have a much better winter.”
Biden said “not enough” people are getting the new bivalent shot, which he said is widely available and free. The president said that “for most Americans,” a COVID-19 shot “once a year is...
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