Vaccines

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the health and policy aspects of vaccines and vaccination
This October 2021 photo provided by Pfizer shows kid-size doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in Puurs, Belgium.
This October 2021 photo provided by Pfizer shows kid-size doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in Puurs, Belgium.
Pfizer via AP
Student Well-Being & Movement All K-12 Students Can Now Get the COVID-19 Vaccine. Here's What It Means for Schools
While a huge moment for families awaiting a vaccine for their younger children, it might not drastically change the situation in schools.
Arianna Prothero, November 2, 2021
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4 min read
Image of young boy wearing a mask getting a bandage applied after a vaccine.
Parents are hesitant to vaccinate their children due to concerns about potential short- and long-term side effects.
Image provided by E+
Student Well-Being & Movement COVID-19 Vaccines for Kids Are Coming. How Many Parents Will Opt for the Shot?
Getting students vaccinated will make in-person learning safer as well as more consistent and manageable, experts argue.
Arianna Prothero, October 29, 2021
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3 min read
Image of a young boy in a pediatrician's office.
Geber86/E+
Student Well-Being & Movement FDA Says Vaccine Benefits Outweigh Myocarditis Risks. Here Are the Facts
Heart inflammation is one rare side effect of the children's vaccine for COVID-19, but the risks are relative.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 26, 2021
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3 min read
This October 2021 photo provided by Pfizer shows kid-sized doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in Puurs, Belgium. The vaccine appear safe and nearly 91% effective at preventing symptomatic infections in 5- to 11-year-olds, according to study details released Oct. 22, 2021, as the U.S. considers opening vaccinations to that age group.
Kid-sized doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. An FDA advisory committee has recommended that the vaccine be approved for emergency use in 5- to 11-year-old children.
Pfizer via AP
Student Well-Being & Movement COVID-19 Vaccine for Children 5 to 11 Clears Hurdle to Emergency Approval
But some members of the FDA's vaccine advisory panel raised concerns that schools may prematurely mandate the vaccine for younger children.
Arianna Prothero, October 26, 2021
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4 min read
Ticket number 937 sits on a COVID-19 vaccination at the drive-thru vaccination site in the Coweta County Fairgrounds on Jan. 14, 2021, in Newnan, Ga.
A ticket number sits on a COVID-19 vaccination at the drive-thru vaccination site in the Coweta County Fairgrounds in Newnan, Ga.
Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP
Federal White House Outlines COVID-19 Vaccination Plans for Kids 5-11
The Biden administration will rely on schools, pharmacies, and pediatricians to help deliver the COVID-19 shots to younger children.
Evie Blad, October 20, 2021
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3 min read
Image of a stethescope, teddy bear, and vaccine syringe.
Milena Khosroshvili/iStock/Getty
Families & the Community How to Talk to Parents About COVID-19 Vaccines: 3 Tips From Scientists
The National Academies of Science has new guidance for schools on encouraging parents to get their children vaccinated.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 19, 2021
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4 min read
Illustration of syringe tied to stick
Getty
Student Well-Being & Movement Minnesota Offers Kids $200 and Scholarship Drawings to Get Fully Vaccinated
Minnesota is offering 12- to 17-year-olds who get COVID-19 vaccines a $200 reward and a shot at $100,000 worth of college scholarships.
Christopher Magan, Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.), October 19, 2021
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2 min read
Diego Cervantes, 16, gets a shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at the First Baptist Church of Pasadena on May 14, 2021, in Pasadena, Calif.
Diego Cervantes, 16, gets a shot of the Pfizer vaccine at the First Baptist Church of Pasadena last spring in Pasadena, Calif.
Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
School Climate & Safety Can Districts Legally Mandate Student Vaccines? No, Two New Lawsuits Claim
Two large California districts are being sued over policies requiring vaccinations for schoolchildren by the end of 2021.
Stephen Sawchuk, October 15, 2021
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5 min read
Second-grade students raise their hands during a math lesson with teacher Carlin Daniels at Pulaski Elementary School in Meriden, Conn., Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021.
Second grade students raise their hands during a math lesson in Meriden, Conn., Sept. 30.
Dave Zajac/Record-Journal via AP
School Climate & Safety From Our Research Center Higher Student Morale Linked to In-Person Instruction, Survey Shows
Educators see student morale rising since last spring, according to a new EdWeek Research Center survey.
Holly Kurtz, October 14, 2021
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4 min read
In this March 2, 2021, file photo, a sign is displayed at a COVID-19 vaccination site for employees of the Los Angeles School District, LAUSD, in the parking lot of SOFI Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. Public schools have struggled for years with teacher shortages, particularly in math, science, special education and languages. But the pandemic has exacerbated the problem. The stresses of teaching in the COVID-era caused a spike in teacher retirements and resignations. On top of that, schools now have to hire all kinds of additional staff, like tutors and special aides to help kids make up for learning losses, and more teachers to run online school for those not ready to return.
In this March 2, 2021, file photo, a sign is displayed at a COVID-19 vaccination site for employees of the Los Angeles School District, LAUSD, in the parking lot of SOFI Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo
School & District Management Facing Disruption and Firings, L.A. Extends COVID Vaccine Deadline for School Staff
The extension comes as the nation's second-largest school system has struggled to fill more than 2,000 teaching and other vacancies.
Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, October 12, 2021
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5 min read
In this April 1955 file photo, first and second-graders at St. Vibiana's school are inoculated against polio with the Salk vaccine in Los Angeles. Tens of millions of today's older Americans lived through the polio epidemic, their childhood summers dominated by concern about the virus. Some parents banned their kids from public swimming pools and neighborhood playgrounds and avoided large gatherings. Some of those from the polio era are sharing their memories with today's youngsters as a lesson of hope for the battle against COVID-19. Soon after polio vaccines became widely available, U.S. cases and death tolls plummeted to hundreds a year, then dozens in the 1960s, and to U.S. eradication in 1979.
In this April 1955 file photo, 1st and 2nd graders are inoculated against polio with the Salk vaccine in Los Angeles.
AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Schools Helped Defeat Polio and Diphtheria With Vaccine Efforts. Can They Do It With COVID?
Decades of decay in public trust has made it harder for institutions like schools and the medical community to rally support.
Andrew Ujifusa, October 8, 2021
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13 min read
Illustration of medical staff administering coronavirus vaccine
RLT Images/DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Student Well-Being & Movement COVID Cases Among Children Are Declining. Has the Back-to-School Surge Peaked?
Federal data show COVID-19 cases declining among school-age children as their vaccination rates begin to rise.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 7, 2021
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4 min read
Marcus Morgan, 14, waits to receive his Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at Families Together of Orange County in Tustin, Calif., on May 13, 2021.
Marcus Morgan, 14, waits to receive his Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at Families Together of Orange County in Tustin, Calif., on May 13, 2021.
Jae C. Hong/AP
States California Is Mandating COVID Vaccines for Kids. Will Other States Follow?
California's is the first statewide student requirement for COVID-19 vaccines. Will other states follow? And what about loopholes?
Evie Blad, October 4, 2021
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5 min read
In this Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020 file photo, senior Clinical Research Nurse Ajithkumar Sukumaran prepares the COVID 19 vaccine to administer to a volunteer, at a clinic in London. British scientists are beginning a small study comparing how two experimental coronavirus vaccines might work when they are inhaled by people instead of being injected. In a statement on Monday, Sept. 14, 2020, researchers at Imperial College London and Oxford University said a trial involving 30 people would test vaccines developed by both institutions when participants inhale the droplets in their mouths, which would directly target their respiratory systems.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Oct. 1 denied a request to block a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees of the New York City school system.
Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP
Law & Courts Justice Sotomayor Denies Bid to Block Vaccine Mandate for New York City School Employees
The Supreme Court justice's refusal involves the COVID-19 vaccine requirement in the nation's largest school district.
Mark Walsh, October 2, 2021
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2 min read
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