A school district in Contra Costa County may become the first in the Bay Area to require that students get vaccinated following a public health official’s recommendation.
Contra Costa County’s Health Officer, Dr. Chris Farnitano, strongly recommended on Friday that all students ages 12 and up be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of going to school. The memo, obtained by KCBS Radio, paves the way for school districts to issue their own vaccine mandates.
"It’s a no-brainer," a county resident said. "The only way we’re going to end this thing is if people get vaccinated."
Following the recommendation, the West Contra Costa Unified School District could vote on a student vaccine mandate as soon as Tuesday during a special school board meeting.
The district serves more than 28,000 students in Richmond, El Cerrito, Hercules, Pinole and San Pablo.
"West Contra Costa has been one of the hardest impacted areas in the county from COVID-19 and I think the school district wants to take all the precautions possible to really protect the community," said County Supervisor John Joya. "I think this is the right thing to do."
Oakland Unified has also introduced a student vaccine resolution and may also vote on it next week.
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