BOSTON (CBS) – Massachusetts students no longer have to keep flu to go to school. The Department of Public Health said Friday the vaccine mandate for students, which was announced last summer as an “important part” of reducing hospitalizations amid the coronavirus pandemic, has been removed.
DPH cites a mild flu season and a desire to focus on administering coronavirus vaccines in its decision to drop the requirement.
“Preliminary data show that so far it has been a mild flu season, presumably because people received their seasonal flu vaccine and followed COVID-19 wearing a mask and taking social distance,” DPH said in a statement. “Given the common efforts of the Commonwealth regarding COVID-19 vaccination, DPH wants to alleviate the burden of getting flu vaccination and focus on continuing our COVID-19 vaccination efforts.”
Massachusetts was the first state to require the flu shot for K-12 and college students.
Everyone 6 months or older in Massachusetts, child care, kindergarten, K-12, colleges and universities had to get their vaccine by the end of February after the state extended the deadline in December. Some parents have protested the new mandate.
The department continues to “strongly recommend” that everyone 6 months and older receive a seasonal flu vaccine annually. About 81% of the K-12 students in Massachusetts received a flu vaccine last year.