The state of Massachusetts recently dropped a flu vaccine requirement for students due to the low number of cases throughout the state, according to local news reports.
The state’s Department of Public Health said Friday afternoon that it is removing the vaccination requirement — which applied to all children over the age of 6 months attending Massachusetts child care, pre-school, kindergarten, K-12, or college — due to the “mild” flu season and the fledgling efforts to administer the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Preliminary data show that this has been a mild flu season to date, presumably as people have received their seasonal flu vaccine and have been adhering to mask-wearing and social distancing due to COVID-19,” DPH said in a statement. “Given the intensive Commonwealth-wide efforts regarding COVID-19 vaccination, DPH wants to alleviate the burden to obtain flu vaccination and focus on continuing our COVID-19 vaccination efforts.”
