Virginia's Coronavirus Vaccination Mandate Debate Continues

Wendell Walker, who represents parts of Lynchburg, Amherst, and Bedford Counties in southwest Virginia, is co-sponsoring a bill that would create a religious exemption to a potential coronavirus vaccination mandate. Virginia House Bill 5016 “eliminates the authority of the Commissioner of Health to require immunization of individuals who object to such administration on religious grounds,” according to Walker.

This legislative action follows the recent announcement by Dr. Norman Oliver, Virginia’s Commissioner of Health, that when a coronavirus vaccine becomes available, he plans to make it mandatory for all Virginians, according to WRIC.

Furthermore, Maria Reppas, a spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Health sent 8News the following statement on August 24, 2020: “When Dr. Oliver spoke of his support of a mandatory COVID-19 vaccine for adults, he was sharing his personal opinion as a physician. Currently, the Northam administration has taken no official policy position on whether or not a COVID-19 vaccine for adults should be mandatory."