Worrisome Hypocrisy of 30-Day Migrant Grace Period for Basic Childhood Vax
Yesterday, in advance of public school kids returning to school, Chancellor Banks and Deputy Mayor Williams-Isom, Health and Human Services, held a press conference to address how the city would accommodate the 19,000 migrant children who will be matriculating into NYC public schools next week.
What was notable, though, was the reiteration of a long-standing policy on vaccination requirements for refugees, asylum seeker and other migrant children. The policy states that those arriving have up to 30 days to make a ‘good faith’ effort to receive the required vaccinations and cannot be barred from attending school in the interim.
Unfortunately, the law was created at a time when NYC was taking in only a small number of refugees; resettled as part of the US refugee program (lean more about history of that program here). In fact, in this document from 2012 you will see reference to 4,720 refugees who arrived in 2009.
But, on September 7, 2023, 19,000 children will be entering NYC schools and the policy around vaccination was reiterated clearly during the press conference on Wednesday, August 30th. The quote below could not be more clear.
A Stunning Contradiction
A decade or more ago, this declaration held less contradiction than it does today. Despite the Covid-19 vaccine objectively not stopping the spread of the virus, unvaccinated parents were barred from entering schools for an entire school year. Children were also banned from sports. Teachers, police, fire men and women lost their jobs. In fact, nearly 2,000 municipal workers lost their jobs in the end.
The administration also stood firm on masking toddlers — as they were the last cohort able to remove masks; while adults moved on to concerts, sporting events and packed bars months before.
Practical Implications
In April 2023, NYC Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan, sent a letter to health professionals in NYC. Within the letter was an outline of the stark reality of what it means to have those arrive en masse from countries with different health protocols.
And now we are faced with stunning numbers of people who are unlikely to be vaccinated against many diseases previously eradicated in the US. The Commissioner takes the risk seriously; but then how to square this against the liberal rules of attendance in school?
Highlights from letter include:
“Vaccination rates for certain diseases are low in some of the most common countries of origin, with rates hovering around 50% for polio as an example.”
“An outbreak of varicella is occurring among families who recently arrived and are residing in shelters and other facilities in NYC. Most cases have been among unvaccinated children, but cases have also occurred among young adults.” [Note: we can verify that Chickenpox was spreading amongst new arrivals at a local District 2 school in January of this year]
“Many people who recently arrived in NYC have lived in or traveled through countries with high rates of Tuberculosis.”
We Must Ask Questions
Both the inconsistency and unintended risk associated with this policy needs to be better communicated to families. For instance:
What about children who have health conditions where exposure to Chickenpox (which does carry small risk of infection even when vaccinated) can be deadly?
What of parents with newborns or immunocompromised family members at home who don’t realize the risk? There are documented cases of Whopping Cough, for example, spreading among groups who are unvaccinated in California and having devastating consequences.
What of the mental distress of inconsistent policy for kids who have missed out on sports scholarships and other opportunities because of an immovable policy?
What will the protocol be for communicating to parents this risk? In the school mentioned above where families received a letter notifying them of Chickenpox exposure— it was a big surprise. For those with vulnerable family at home, including elderly, immunocompromised or newborn babies how to protect them in advance?
What of trust? How can families, or frankly, any resident, trust an administration that talks of dire risk but then acts as if there is none?
Let us know your thoughts, join the community now to discuss.