The number of colleges and universities that will require students to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 is suddenly increasing.
In recent days alone, Duke University, Brown University, Northeastern University, the University of Notre Dame, Syracuse University and Ithaca College have announced that students returning to campus in the fall should be vaccinated. is completely before the first day of class.
Cornell University, Rutgers University, New Southeastern University, Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island, Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado and the University of St. Louis. Edward in Austin, Texas, has also said vaccines will be mandatory by fall 2021.
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More institutions are likely to continue to exist, according to Lynn Pasquerella, president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
“Medical and religious exemptions will be accommodated, but the expectation will be that our campuses and classrooms will be overwhelmingly made up of vaccinated people, greatly reducing the risk of infection for everyone,” the president said in a statement. of Cornell, Martha Pollack, and the provost Michael Kotlikoff.
Across the country, campuses have struggled to stay open for the past year, as fraternities, sisters and off-campus parties have caused sudden spikes in coronavirus cases among students. Meanwhile, students overwhelmingly declared remote school as a mediocre substitute for being in the classroom.
As eligibility for Covid vaccines extends to people 16 and older, schools should consider how a vaccine mandate can help higher education get back on track, Pasquerella said.
For those enrolled in school, there are already many vaccination requirements to prevent the spread of diseases such as poliomyelitis, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough.
The 50 states have at least some immunization mandates for children attending public schools and even for those attending private schools and daycares. In all cases, there are medical exemptions, and in some cases there are also religious or philosophical exemptions.
“Adding Covid-19 vaccination to our student immunization requirements will help provide a safer and more robust college experience for our students,” Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway said in a statement.
At Rutgers, students may also apply for an exemption from vaccination for medical or religious reasons, and students enrolled in completely remote programs will not be required to be vaccinated.
And yet the vaccination of the vaccine remains a powerful force among parents, in particular.
Only 58% of parents or caregivers said they would vaccinate their children against Covid, although 70% of parents said they would vaccinate themselves, according to a March poll by ParentsTogether, a national advocacy group.
Low-income, minority families were even less likely to vaccinate their children, ParentsTogether found.
Other studies have shown that blacks and Latinos are more skeptical about vaccines than the general population of the United States because of historical medical abuse. Racial inequalities in vaccine distribution have also been observed in the United States
“Schools need to get ahead of this and think about how it will work,” said Bethany Robertson, co-founder and co-director of ParentsTogether.
“We need to start the conversation with parents now, to build trust and understanding about how vaccinating children against Covid-19 protects their health, the health of their family and the health of our communities,” he said. Robertson.
However, in addition to students, parents and community members, schools must also weigh the interests of faculty, staff, legislators and boards, Pasquerella said.
“It’s complicated,” he said. “Regardless of the decision that is made, eventually a group will be upset.”
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