California to delay COVID-19 vaccine mandate for schoolchildren until at least July 2023

California will delay its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for schoolchildren until at least July 2023, state health officials say.  

California Department of Public Health officials said Thursday they'll wait for the Food and Drug Administration to give full approval for the vaccines for students in grades seven through 12.

Officials said the decision to delay implementation of the mandate is to "ensure sufficient time for successful implementation of new vaccine requirements."

Though the FDA has given emergency authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 and older, it has not yet given a final approval to those under 16 years old, according to KTLA-TV.

California was the first state to announce last year that it would require all school-aged kids to get the vaccine, the Southern California TV station also reports.