Hundreds of protesters drawn to Boston due to flu vaccination order by students in Massachusetts

On Sunday, hundreds of people gathered in Boston, Flu vaccination Delegate to all Massachusetts student..

Protesters rolled up on Sunday outside the State Capitol in Boston, proclaiming the signs “My Body, My Choices” and “Nurses Against Compulsory Vaccines.” They argued that the flu vaccination obligation was a form of “government overkill.”

“They are forcing our children to inject something we don’t agree with,” protesting parent Mike Megana of Boston said. WBZ-TV.. “It’s about getting rid of the fear of COVID. I think I should be able to choose what goes into my son’s body. I can say “yes” or “no,” and the government You shouldn’t say that for. “

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The Massachusetts Department of Public Health said earlier this month that all children over 6 months of age in a nursery school, kindergarten, kindergarten, kindergarten, kindergarten, high school, and college in Massachusetts would need to be vaccinated against influenza. Said.

“The need for new vaccines is an important step in reducing the overall impact of influenza-related illnesses and respiratory illness during the COVID-19 pandemic,” statement The above.

Republican Governor Massachusetts Charlie Baker said flu vaccination would help state hospitals and healthcare resources to help keep them from being overwhelmed during a pandemic, officials against COVID- A Sunday demonstration came, fearing that authorities would force the public to force vaccination, 19 when a new vaccine for the new disease would eventually come to market.

Ah Gallup voting Published on August 7, about 35% of Americans (about 1 in 3) find that they can’t get an FDA-approved free COVID-19 vaccine if they are ready today. did.

The flu vaccination requirement applies to some virtual learners in Massachusetts and only K-12 students who are home study and higher education students who are fully off-campus engaged in distance learning only are vaccinated. Can be skipped. Some medical and religious exemptions may also apply.

“Every year, thousands of people of all ages are affected by the flu, resulting in many hospitalizations and deaths,” said Dr. Larry Madoff, MDH’s Director of Infectious Diseases and Institute. It was “Getting an influenza vaccine is more important than ever, because the symptoms of influenza are very similar to those of COVID-19, and preventing influenza can save lives and conserve medical resources. “

Students in Massachusetts are expected to receive the influenza vaccine by December 31, 2020, for the 2020-2021 flu season. Students from kindergarten to grade 12 must already be immunized with DTaP/Tdap, polio, MMR, hepatitis B and chickenpox vaccine.

Regarding the new vaccine against COVID-19, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he was “amazingly surprised” when part of the population would be required to be vaccinated.

Others raise the possibility that vaccines are essential as part of the “if / then” proposition. That is, someone can do something only if someone is vaccinated first. For example, you may need proof of vaccination to perform certain jobs, such as prison staff or line workers in a meat processing plant. Some companies, such as nursing homes and hospitals, may need to vaccinate people who work in certain high-risk populations.

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You may also need it to gain access to specific spaces such as schools or sporting events, or to take advantage of certain benefits such as the freedom to travel to other states without isolation. These types of rules already exist, for example, in many universities that require students living in dormitories to be vaccinated against meningitis.

Associated Press contributed to this report.