SAN JOSE-California announced that next year, vaccines will be mandatory for all students from grades seven to twelve. The mandate will apply as soon as January 2022. Vaccine mandates for students kindergarten through sixth grade will take longer as the vaccine is still being tested for kids from ages five through eleven. This is the nation’s first-ever statewide COVID-19 vaccine requirement in schools. The mandate applies to all the students in kindergarten to twelfth grade. in California. Dr. Anthony Fauci praised Gov. Gavin Newsom’s vaccine mandate. “I agree with what Governor Newsom did in California. People need to realize that having a vaccine requirement for schools is not a new, novel thing that is very peculiar or specific to COVID-19. We’ve been doing this for decades.”

On Jan. 21, 2020, the CDC confirmed the first covid case in the U.S. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Soon after, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency. States started to issue mask mandates, stay at home orders and capacity limits in businesses. Thus began the covid pandemic. 

In December 2020, the FDA approved the first COVID-19 vaccine. At that time, only older people ages sixty-five plus could get the vaccine. Now, almost every age is eligible to get the vaccine. The vaccine has affected people all over the world by allowing them to be protected from the virus. Worldwide, more than six billion vaccines have been administered and two and a half billion people have been fully vaccinated. In the U.S., almost four hundred million doses have been given. Almost two hundred million people have been fully vaccinated. 

About fifty million total doses were given in California. Over twenty million people are fully vaccinated. 58.2% of people who have gotten the vaccine are fully vaccinated. Experts say about 85% of Americans should be vaccinated to get the pandemic under control. Anyone twelve and older can get the vaccine in California. California requires proof of covid vaccine or negative test results at big events.

Covid vaccines are available for everyone for no cost. The vaccines are paid with taxpayer dollars and are given to everyone living in the United States, no matter insurance and immigration status. Of the people who get COVID-19, the majority is unvaccinated. But, since vaccines aren’t fully effective at preventing infection, even people who are fully vaccinated can get COVID-19. An infection of someone fully vaccinated is known as a “vaccine breakthrough infection.” Getting everyone vaccinated is a big part to the end of the pandemic.