Los Angeles County school officials have ordered Covid-19 vaccinations for all students aged 12 and over, the largest school district in the United States to take the dramatic step, reports Reuters.

School board members voted unanimously to mandate the shots in the coming weeks despite angry objections from several parents who said they were worried about the safety of vaccines and had the right to make the decision for their children.

"I do not see this as your choice or my choice," board member Jackie Goldberg said. "I see this as a community necessity. That means people have to do things they're not comfortable with, they're not sure of, that may even contain some risk."

The Los Angeles school district vaccine policy applies to all of the district's more than 600,000 students who are 12 or older, unless they can establish a medical or religious exemption. The board previously mandated that all employees be inoculated.