Dr. Anthony Fauci Supports COVID Vaccine Mandates for School Children, Says It’s a ‘Good Idea'
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, arrives to testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on July 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. The committee will hear testimony about the Biden administration's ongoing plans to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and Delta variant. Stefani Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images

The U.S. top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has expressed his support for COVID vaccine mandates for school children amid the spread of the Delta variant.

Fauci told CNN's "State of the Union" program Sunday that mandating the vaccine to children attending schools seems to be "a good idea." The health expert added that they have done requiring vaccinations for decades similar to polio, measles, mumps, rubella, and hepatitis.

Reuters reported that the Chief White House medical adviser said there is a reasonable chance that Pfizer or Moderna vaccines could get clearance for kids under 12 from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before the upcoming holiday season.

Fauci added that the FDA hopefully would be acting quickly on the matter.

Rising COVID Cases Among School Children

School districts across the country are re-opening and started offering in-person learning. However, many children were sent back home after a huge spike in COVID cases among students.

In Central Florida, several school children are being diagnosed with COVID infection, putting a strain on the resources used to track them in school.

According to Click Orlando, Orange County Public School officials have seen the highest number of new infections this week, with around 2,000 students and staff in quarantine.

The Florida Department of Health (FDOH) in Orange County noted that 20 percent of the COVID cases this week were children ages five and 14.

Jason Salemi, associate professor of epidemiology at the University of South Florida College of Public Health, said the reason for the uptick in cases in schools was because children are back in school full-time.

Dr. Raul Pino of FDOH said there is no way children can take the shot as many kids are not eligible to be vaccinated. Orange and Lake County school districts in Central Florida were paying overtime to keep the COVID track report updated.

Schools in Los Angeles County also reported an increase of cases among unvaccinated children from 73 per 100,000 in May to 307 cases per 100,000 on August 14.

L.A. County Health Director Barbara Ferrer said the early data on COVID cases on schools are "somewhat sobering," KTLA reported.

L.A. County is seeing high transmission levels, prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to recommend that schools should cancel or hold extracurricular activities virtually unless everyone is fully vaccinated.

Mask mandates have also posed a problem as state officials and school districts battle whether to impose one or not.

Mask Mandates in Schools

According to ABC News, at least nine states have implemented laws or executive orders banning mask mandates in classrooms, namely Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Florida, South Carolina, Iowa, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah.

A Florida court on August 27 had rejected an effort by state Governor Ron DeSantis and some state officials from imposing mask mandates for children returning to in-person learning.

Judge John C. Cooper had sided with parents and students in schools' districts. The parents argued that the state's constitution requires keeping school children safe and secure, adding that masks would help during a pandemic, The New York Times reported.

Cooper had given an injunction, blocking it from punishing local school boards that imposing mask mandates.

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Written by: Mary Webber

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