Though the COVID-19 vaccine does not stop the transmission or contraction of the virus, students, faculty, and staff at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) will be forced to take the experimental jab in order to return to campus this fall.
Everyone on campus is expected to receive the shot by September 30, WZZM reported. The school will provide numerous opportunities to get vaccinated at free pop-up clinics.
Greg Sanial, chief financial officer and director of the GVSU’s “Virus Action Team,” reportedly said that 80 percent of faculty and staff are already vaccinated. He also said that 60 percent of the student body has taken at least one dose of the vaccine.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, only 2519 Americans aged 18-29, the age group that comprises most college students, have died from COVID-19, comprising just .004 percent of all COVID-19 deaths in the United States.
Still, the university plans to move forward with the vaccine mandate.
“We’re doing what we can to make our campus the safest place we can make it for the fall semester,” Sanial reportedly said.
Those who have religious exemptions will not be required to take the vaccine but will be forced to submit to weekly COVID-19 testing.
Other than that, there will be no room for argument, according to Sanial.
“But in the end, if they are absolutely refusing to get vaccinated, we would expect them to seek their education elsewhere or employment elsewhere,” he reportedly said.
The college will also mandate masks inside buildings, beginning on August 9.
“This decision was made after extensive discussion with health and medical experts,” the school’s website said. “Top health organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Johns Hopkins Medicine, report Covid vaccines have been thoroughly tested and found to be safe and effective in preventing severe COVID-19. We are aligning the requirement at GVSU with FDA approval to acknowledge those who are waiting for additional confirmation of the vaccines’ efficacy and safety.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Michigan Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
