Board to Begin Process of Organizing a Technical Advisory Group to Consider Adding COVID-19 Vaccine to State’s List of Required Immunizations for School Entry

The State Board of Health (Board) is coordinating with the state Department of Health to begin the process of convening a technical advisory group (TAG) to consider a COVID-19 vaccine against the Board’s criteria and a recommendation made on whether to add it to the state’s list of required immunizations for school entry. The Board anticipates holding a briefing on the progress of organizing a TAG at its January 2022 public meeting.

Details about the process the Board uses to convene a technical advisory group and the criteria it uses to review antigens for potential inclusion to the state’s immunizations list is provided in the Board’s Immunization Criteria Document. The Board encourages people who are eligible for vaccination against COVID-19 to get vaccinated. It’s important for families to discuss their children’s immunization status with their health care providers to ensure children are protected against transmissible diseases like COVID-19.

After careful deliberation and thorough discussion, Board members voted at its October public meeting to begin the process to convene an immunizations TAG. Materials from that topic are on the October meeting web page and a summary of the Board’s discussion is available on the meeting's draft minutes.