As some California parents scramble for ways around a new Covid-19 vaccine mandate for schools, the state is increasingly scrutinizing doctors issuing suspicious medical exemptions.
Medical exemptions in California have recently increased, quadrupling over a four-year span through 2019-20 for kindergarten students, the entry grade tracked by the state and federal government, despite population size decreasing. That rate far outpaces national figures that have been flat in the same period, according to federal data.
At the same time, the state is disciplining more doctors over their exemptions, which in most cases excused children from all vaccines, a review of state medical data found.
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Dr. Tara Zandvliet, who wrote the most exemptions in San Diego schools, at 149, said vaccine mandates take away a person’s ability to make their own decisions. “No one else should be able to decide what to do with your body. Only you,” said Dr. Zandvliet, adding that she isn’t against vaccines but doesn’t like mandates.
Dr. Zandvliet is on probation for negligence in a medical exemption case, is currently banned from writing exemptions and faces more allegations.
The CDC says vaccinations are essential to provide immunity before children are exposed to potentially life-threatening diseases.
