US colleges divided over requiring student vaccinations

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

BOSTON (AP) — U.S. colleges hoping for a return to normalcy next fall are weighing how far they should go in urging students to get the COVID-19 vaccine, including whether they should — or legally can — require it.

Universities including Rutgers, Brown, Cornell and Northeastern recently told students they must get vaccinated before returning to campus next fall. They hope to achieve herd immunity on campus, which they say would allow them to loosen spacing restrictions in classrooms and dorms.

But some colleges are leaving the decision to students, and others believe they can’t legally require vaccinations. At Virginia Tech, officials determined that they can’t because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has only allowed the emergency use of the vaccines and hasn’t given them its full approval.

The question looms large as more colleges plan to shift back from remote to in-person instruction. Many schools have launched vaccination blitzes to get students immunized before they leave for the summer. At some schools, the added requirement is meant to encourage holdouts and to build confidence that students and faculty will be safe on campus.

https://apnews.com/article/us-colleges-divided-student-coronavirus-vaccination-8c46ab65afc4538cb060c320ed94fc54

[Hugin]

1. I wish that stupid assed term, 'herd immunity' would go the hell away.

There is no such thing outside of a theoretical closed system.

[hlthe2b]

5. The term has been bastardized by those who have polticized the entire COVID-19 response, but

it is a legitimate term and principle that lead to Measles elimination (not eradication) in the Western Hemisphere for several decades and has allowed for control of numerous deadly and/or economically devastating animal diseases for more than a century.

The oral polio vaccine and fecal shedding of that vaccine-strain resulted in the herd immunity that allowed for containment of polio in this country and has brought us close to elimination several times worldwide--had it not been for the instability of regional wars interrupting mass vaccination efforts. Had that not occurred, the injectable vaccine alone would have been unlikely to have allowed us to reach that point.

Is herd immunity possible with COVID-19? There are a lot of factors that predict whether or not that is possible. Given the unrestrained spread in so much of the world, sans vaccine and vaccine denial in other areas, along with the development of multiple mutation/variant strains this will be a far bigger challenge, but the concept is not inappropriate to discuss in the context of vaccine saturation.

[Hugin]

8. Measles and the COVID-19 virus are not in any way comparable.

Due to the coronavirus's high mutation rate. Implying so is misleading. It plays into the American psyche that there is an end point being "herd immunity". Like, "Hey, I paid my mortgage payment once. Why do I need to pay it again?"

A term such as threats and counter-threats would be a better way to describe it. Which would possibly lead to more compliance with the protocols and vaccinations.

Sure, COVID-19 can be beaten back. However, it will require everyone doing what is required every time. Otherwise, the reservoir of this disease is going to be human. Which is what I already believe is going on.

[hlthe2b]

9. I never said they are. But both are examples where herd immunity comes into play.

There are variables with every virus that predicts the ability to contain, eliminate, or eradicate, including such aspects as infectivity, mortality, route of infection, asymptomatic spread, duration and extent of natural immunity, environmental viability. Additionally the ability of vaccines to induce-long term immunity (or as in oral polio, "shedding immunity" ) and the speed with which that vaccine-induced ability can reach sufficient percentages of population prior to the development of variants less susceptible to the vaccine.

Don't try to reframe my discussion --which is to address the poster's misunderstanding of herd immunity.

This is my field of expertise. For decades.

[Hugin]

11. In no way am I beating up on you, hlthe2b.

It is irritating that the term was picked up as a bumper sticker by a group of charlatans to be thrown around for the last year as an excuse for what they were going to do anyway by people who are decidedly not experts and have glaring conflict of interests. To the extent there are large groups of people who openly believe COVID parties are the way to go. While still shunning the only thing out there, which will actually benefit them personally in the form of vaccination.

It's the stupid, man. I can't take the stupid.

[gibraltar72]

2. You can bet Midvale College in Mi. won't require it.

[MichMan]

10. Lived in Michigan my entire life and never heard of it

[gibraltar72]

18. I use the name that Law And Order used in an episode.

Hillsdale is a project of mine since I was about 11 years old and learned they were lying scumbags.

[Ace Rothstein]

13. Do you mean Hillsdale College?

[gibraltar72]

17. Yeah but I use name Law And Order gave them when they did episode

that totally wasn't about things in the news regarding them.

[hlthe2b]

3. I want all to be vaccinated, but VA Tech has a point--same reason military can not REQUIRE vaccine..

AND THAT is why I've been trying to get all vaccinated to register and complete the extremely easy & brief surveys for CDC to document post-vaccination reactions because it can speed FDA's ability to approve on a normal regulatory basis (which then allows for REQUIRED use for schools/military and other high-risk groups where appropriate):

https://vsafe.cdc.gov/en/

Even if you completed both doses months ago, you can still participate at the link above.

[roamer65]

4. FDA needs to grant full approval to the vaccines.

[mnhtnbb]

6. Duke University (Durham, NC) recently announced they will require all students

to be vaccinated prior to returning for the fall semester.

https://today.duke.edu/2021/04/student-vaccination-requirements-fall-semester

[genxlib]

7. My daughter is at Ohio State

And they (so far) are not demanding it. They are strongly encouraging it and making a big push. My daughter was able to get her this weekend.

It is likely they won't require it being a public university in a red state. Most of the schools I see that are requiring it seem to be private schools. Rutgers in that article seems to be the only exception.

What OSU is doing instead is putting the hold outs through extra testing protocols. They will continue to make them test at a high rate that they will not have for the verified vaccinated. Furthermore, they will still be subjected to stringent quarantine and isolation if they get exposed.

I participate in a parents group on Facebook and got into with a snotty anti vaxxer parent who took issue with this. She thought it was unfair that the non-vaccinated kids were going to be treated differently. I told her the non-vaccinated kids were different and were being treated according to the risk they represent for the community. She did not like that very much. She should get used to the idea because things are going to get tense this summer when all these assholes leave us shy of herd immunity and the pressure ramps up.

[meadowlander]

12. Rutgers has had a couple major measles outbreaks over the years

so they probably have a more cautious policy about vaccinations generally.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-28-mn-39448-story.html

[Buckeye_Democrat]

19. Ohio State better take it seriously.

It's one the largest universities in the country, in terms of the number of in-person students -- i.e., not including "distance learning".

Any outbreaks there could easily become a major spreader source.

[genxlib]

21. They have taken it very seriously

They have had one of the strongest sets of protocols I’ve seen anywhere. They have every student test every week. This semester they have even increased to twice a week when the numbers have started to ease up.

My wife have been very impressed with how well they have taken care of our daughter

[Buckeye_Democrat]

22. Thank you.

That's very encouraging!

[Hekate]

14. Jesus. When there is an outbreak of meningitis in college dorms, they vaccinate those kids so fast

My gods what is wrong with people!?

[BannonsLiver]

16. "Personal responsibility"

the irony of the least personally responsible populace on earth (Americans) continually beating that drum is never lost on me.

[Pas-de-Calais]

15. MORE division at different levels

It never forkin ends

[TheFarseer]

20. Our football coach is telling his players

To not get vaccinated because other people should get it first. Why do I feel like that is just cover because he’s one of those conspiracy theory nuts?