More than 18,000 elementary school students were threatened with a suspension from their school district for not having updated vaccine records.
The Region of Waterloo Public Health in Ontario, Canada, issued suspension orders that required young students to get all their necessary vaccines and update their records within a six-week period or face suspension. The region has issued the orders to a total of 18,643 students who have until March 27, 2024, to update their records.
High school students have longer, until May 27, 2024, to receive their vaccine updates, according to Global News, but suspensions may start at the beginning of that month.
Public health representatives claimed that during COVID-19 lockdowns, there was a decline in parents staying up to date with their child's repeat vaccine doses. This included shots for measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, meningococcal, pertussis (whooping cough), and varicella (chicken pox).
