PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — As Pfizer moves forward with seeking approval for COVID-19 vaccine for children 5-12 years old, there seems to be no rush to mandate the shots to attend school.
"It is not something that I'm personally in favor of right now, I don't like the idea of mandating a vaccine," Palm Beach County School Board member Erica Whitfield said this past weekend on WPTV's "To The Point". "Currently the state is the one who decides what vaccines are put in place."
Given the current position of Governor Ron DeSantis, who is against mandates for masks and vaccines, many doubt the state will move to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the long list of vaccines required to attend school for diseases such as mumps, measles and polio.
Whitfield however says there has been some discussion about the possibility of a COVID-19 vaccine being required one day.
"If we do end up going with vaccines, we are going to have to have a part in there for religious exemptions just like we do for all other vaccines," she said.
Parents meanwhile are now deciding if they will get the vaccine shots for their children.
Lesley Abravanel of Boca Raton, who’s been part of a lawsuit against the Governor’s ban on mask mandates at school, said she is ready to vaccinate her children even if the schools won’t require it.
"I will hope they will mandate the vaccine, in the meantime we have to take care of our kids on our own," Abravanel said.