SACRAMENTO, Calif. — At the beginning of October, Governor Gavin Newsom made history as the first governor in the country to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for all K-12 students across California, pending full FDA approval for their age groups.
"Public or private, they have to be vaccinated," Newsom said in a press briefing on Oct. 1.
This means that the COVID-19 vaccine will be added to the list of other required vaccinations, such as measles, mumps and rubella, that students need to get into school.
"This is again familiar from my humble perspective, maybe it's because I have four kids!" Newsom said.
But since that landmark announcement, ABC10 has been getting several questions from viewers who texted in asking if the governor's oldest daughter is vaccinated.
THE QUESTION
Is Governor Newsom's oldest daughter vaccinated?
THE SOURCES
Governor Newsom's Twitter
Erin Mellon, a spokesperson for the Governor's office
THE ANSWER
At this time, Gov. Newsom's oldest 12-year-old daughter named Montana has not been vaccinated. However, a spokesperson for his office says she has an appointment to be vaccinated.
WHAT WE FOUND
According to this tweet Governor Newsom posted back in 2019, he was celebrating his oldest daughter Montana's 10th birthday on Sept. 18, meaning she's now 12 years old. According to the CDC, she is now eligible and recommended to receive her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. She's been eligible for more than a month now.
"The Governor's daughter only recently turned 12 and has an appointment to be vaccinated," Erin Mellon, a spokesperson for Newsom's office, said.
But two weeks ago, he told the LA Times that she hasn't received it because she has a "series of other shots" to get first. And ten days ago, his office told Fox News that her appointment to be vaccinated is in "a manner of days."
ABC10 asked when the appointment was set for but hasn't heard back yet.
Keep in mind, the vaccine mandate doesn't actually kick in until the semester after full FDA approval is granted, either on Jan. 1 or July 1 of next year.
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