California will become the first U.S. state to mandate statewide COVID-19 vaccinations for schoolchildren, Governor Gavin Newsom said on Friday as a Reuters tally showed the United States topping 700,000 coronavirus deaths.
"The state already requires that students are vaccinated against viruses that cause measles, mumps, and rubella — there'd no reason why we wouldn't do the same for COVID-19," the Democratic governor said at a news conference.
Newsom said the schools mandate could be enacted as early as January, once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration fully approves inoculations for their age groups. California is the most populous U.S. state.