Some Georgia senators want to permanently block schools and most state and local government agencies from requiring people to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
In 2022, lawmakers enshrined a one-year ban into law as part of a conservative nationwide backlash against an order aimed at curbing the spread of respiratory disease. , that ban expires on June 30 in Georgia.
On Wednesday, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee voted 7-2 to pass Senate Bill 1, which would make the ban permanent, for Senate-wide progress.
Senator Greg Dolezal, a Cumming Republican who supports the bill, said the government can’t force anyone to do it, at least when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines.
“I don’t think it’s the government’s role to make medical decisions for the public when it comes to this vaccine,” Dolezal said.
The measure prohibits state agencies, local governments, schools and universities from requiring proof of vaccination. But governments and schools cannot demand evidence, so orders cannot be enforced.
Dolezal’s bill originally also made permanent an existing five-year ban on allowing schools to require children to wear masks. However, Dolezal said he plans to introduce another bill on the matter.
The state public health department declined to take a position on the bill, saying it does not comment on pending legislation.
The Georgia chapters of both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association oppose the measure, saying it would undermine Georgia’s ability to combat continued COVID-19 infections, especially against other existing vaccine requirements for public schools and colleges. said to promote erosion of It hurts students, and Georgia’s ability to fight future pandemics.
“A permanent ban sets a dangerous precedent that could lead to the erosion of current vaccine requirements for school attendance in other diseases,” said Dr. Angela Hibo Battle and Dr. Melinda Willingham of the Pediatricians Group. “Vaccines are widely regarded as perhaps the greatest achievement in recent medical history. It has played a major role in almost eradicating it.”
Commission chair Ben Watson is a Savannah Republican, a medical doctor, and an advocate for COVID-19 and other diseases that students need to be vaccinated to attend public schools and many colleges. are distinguished. He acknowledged that the vaccine is effective in preventing deaths and hospitalizations, but said it cannot prevent people from contracting COVID-19. If you say you don’t need a flu shot to go to school, you may not be able to prevent the flu.
Only one public school system in Georgia, in Decatur, attempted to require teachers to be vaccinated before the law was passed.
The measure excludes health care facilities that are subject to federal mandates for employees to be vaccinated in order to continue to receive federal payments.
Some supporters urged lawmakers to go further. Roswell’s Kristie Minor urged the commission to ban private organizations from requiring people to be vaccinated, as the state of Florida has attempted.
“Discrimination continues,” she testified Thursday. “This is a good first step.”
She said the COVID-19 vaccine would do more harm than good to young men. The COVID-19 vaccine can cause heart inflammation, myocarditis or pericarditis, especially in young men. Health officials and experts say these cases are rare and usually mild, and that the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks.
Medical experts agree that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective, confirming reports of vaccination deaths despite millions being vaccinated is very rare.
More than 1.1 million people have died from COVID-19 in the country since 2020, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with nearly 3,700 dying last week. About 42,000 people have died from the virus in Georgia.
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