California Medical Association (CMA) President Peter N. Bretan, Jr., M.D., issued the following statement in response to Governor Gavin Newsom's announcement today that COVID-19 vaccinations will be required for students in California schools:

"CMA strongly supports Gov. Newsom’s common-sense action to protect our students, teachers and school staff. This is not a new idea. We already require vaccines against several known deadly diseases before students can enroll in schools. The Newsom Administration is simply extending existing public health protections to cover this new disease, which has caused so much pain and suffering across our state, our nation and the entire globe over the last 18 months.  We are proud that California continues to put public health first, and urge all who are eligible to get their COVID-19 vaccines as soon as possible so we can keep each other safe."