Lecce defends keeping COVID-19 off Ontario’s list of 9 mandatory vaccines at schools

A day after releasing Ontario’s back-to-school plan, Education Minister Stephen Lecce defended the decision to not make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for age-eligible children and school staff when classes resume this fall.

“We will not mandate vaccine requirement for schools and for staff at this point,” Lecce said Wednesday while announcing a $25 million investment in HEPA filters at schools. “Our aim is to encourage vaccination on a voluntary level.”

“We will respect the choices individuals can make, but at the same time we can be strong advocates for vaccines as a safe way to reduce risk and allow for a more normal return to class.”

According to the province’s website, the following vaccines are currently mandatory for children who attend primary or secondary school, unless they have a valid exemption:

• diphtheria
• tetanus
• polio
• measles
• mumps rubella, meningitis (meningococcal disease)
• whooping cough (pertussis)
• chickenpox (varicella) for children born in 2010 or later

The Science Advisory Table for Ontario recommended that vaccine status “should be reported to schools” but Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore, confirmed that won’t be happening, adding that unvaccinated children can take part in all activities.

“There should be no stigmatization of children who have not received a vaccine in any way in normal activities throughout the school year,” Moore said.

In an update to the original back-to-school plan, Moore said the province will now allow high-contact sports indoors, like hockey and basketball.

Considering the low community spread and high vaccination rates in Ontario currently, Moore said it’s “reasonable to be able to allow basketball and hockey to continue.”

“There’s never a complete risk elimination but we think it’s prudent and reasonable and certainly want our children to be able to participate in those sports.”

Moore also said the province would not introduce rapid asymptomatic testing at schools.

“We’ve reviewed this issue and (concluded) that rapid testing for asymptomatic people in low community rates of infection is too burdensome, will have too many false positives, and be cumbersome to implement.”

Instead, the province will aim to speed up the current testing procedures, with a goal of having 80 per cent of test results within 48 hours.