Section 32.1-46 of the Code of Virginia requires that the Board of Health conduct an annual review of statutory childhood immunization requirements. Further, the law requires that the Board of Health make recommendations for revision to the Governor, General Assembly, and Joint Commission on Health Care by September 1st of each year.

The Virginia Department of Health conducted an analysis of Virginia’s immunizations required for school entry compared to 1) recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), and 2) ACIP’s Routinely Recommended Immunization Schedule for Children and Adolescents. The findings and conclusions are listed below.

1. There is no influenza immunization requirement for school entry in Virginia; however, CDC/ACIP/AAP/AAFP all recommend an annual influenza vaccine for all children six (6) months of age and older and they recommend that children age six (6) months to eight (8) years who have not received two (2) doses of annual influenza vaccine before July 1, 2022 or whose vaccination history is unknown should receive two (2) doses separated by four (4) weeks. ACIP’s Routinely Recommended Immunization Schedule is consistent with those recommendations.

2. There is no COVID-19 immunization requirement for school entry in Virginia; however, CDC/ACIP/AAP/AAFP all recommend 1 or 3 doses depending on age and vaccine manufacturer with at least one dose being a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine. ACIP’s Routinely Recommended Immunization Schedule is consistent with those recommendations.

3. Incorporation of these vaccines (influenza and COVID-19) into Virginia’s childhood immunization statute presents fiscal and logistical complexities.

4. In order to align Virginia’s requirements with the recommendations of these organizations, the Board of Health would need to amend the Regulations for Immunization of School Children to add two new vaccine requirements.