Bills introduced in Albany would add the COVID-19 shot to the...

Bills introduced in Albany would add the COVID-19 shot to the existing list of vaccinations required to attend school. Credit: Howard Schnapp

For those who oppose or are skeptical about vaccination, the last couple of weeks have been full of applause-worthy moments. First, Gov. Kathy Hochul removed the state’s indoor vax-or-mask requirement. Then, New York City Mayor Eric Adams ended the city’s mandate that restaurants and other establishments allow only vaccinated patrons inside.

Decreasing COVID-19 infection rates and hospitalizations may mean those moves make sense, at least for now. But those who oppose the COVID-19 vaccine have wrongly used the policy shifts to support their incorrect, unproven positions that the vaccine isn’t effective or necessary or, worse, that it’s harmful.

Then came Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state’s surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, who this week recklessly announced plans to officially recommend against children getting the vaccine. Ladapo’s decision flies in the face of science and medicine, never mind recommendations and data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. DeSantis featured a panel of "experts," spreading misinformation and dangerous conclusions, to support his take.

Anti-vax groups and so-called "medical freedom" advocates celebrated, hanging on to every word and making DeSantis and Ladapo into heroes. They are not.

Research has shown children thankfully are not as likely to die or become severely ill from COVID-19. But more than 1,500 children up to age 17 have died from the virus. And, while the vaccine’s effectiveness in children waned during the omicron variant, vaccinating children still protects them from serious illness and helps to protect those around them, including younger siblings, teachers and family members.

Luckily for New Yorkers, elected officials here still understand that. But even as restrictions loosen in some spots, those who protest vaccine mandates or promote falsehoods about the shot have their eyes on another battle to come.

Will the state add the COVID-19 vaccine to the existing list of vaccinations required to attend school?

State lawmakers have introduced bills in Albany that would do just that, although any requirement wouldn’t take effect for younger children until the vaccine got full Food and Drug Administration approval.

If COVID-19 continues to wane, it seems unlikely that the legislature or Gov. Kathy Hochul would prioritize those bills this spring, especially with election season in full swing. But even as this particular coronavirus becomes endemic, at some point it likely will be necessary to add COVID-19 to the long list of critical vaccinations children must get to attend school.

When that battle comes to the forefront, it’ll be an ugly fight, one for which those opposed to vaccines and vaccination requirements already are preparing. If it’s anything like the effort to ban religious exemptions to vaccination, it’ll be bruising and personal. And what’s clear from Florida’s example is that there are doctors and scientists who don’t believe in medicine and science and are ready to loudly promote the misinformation they label as fact. In the face of that, pro-vaccine, pro-science advocates must galvanize, even if it’s tough to overcome the opposition.

But galvanize they must. Don’t think it’s necessary? Just look at Israel, where an unvaccinated 4-year-old boy has been diagnosed with polio, which is still endemic in some parts of the world.

It’s the first case of polio in Israel in more than three decades, sparking concerns about an outbreak. The only reason we’re talking about it is because some refuse to be vaccinated.

If we’re not willing to do what’s hard now, the worst of COVID-19 will make its return, too. It’s just a matter of time.

Columnist Randi F. Marshall’s opinions are her own.

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