Rutgers to require vaccine for on-campus students
Rutgers University officials announced Thursday that all students who take on-campus classes in the fall will be required to be vaccinated for COVID-19 – apparently the first mandate of its kind in the nation – while faculty and staff members are “strongly urged” to get one of the available vaccines.
The American College Health Association, a national organization that advocates for the health of college students, said it was not aware of any other schools that require COVID-19 vaccinations currently.
Rutgers already requires other kinds of vaccinations, including for measles, mumps and rubella, according to its website.
It has been difficult to to receive the COVID-19 vaccines in New Jersey, which still limits vaccinations to those who are at least 65 years old or who have a preexisting condition, such as asthma or diabetes, as well as smokers.
But state officials have said they expect to get additional supplies and ramp up vaccinations in the next few weeks, and federal officials have said they anticipate vaccines would be available to all Americans by the end of May.
“We are committed to health and safety for all members of our community, and 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.
The university announced the requirement in a news release, which said students “may request an exemption from vaccination for medical or religious reasons.” It said students who are enrolled in online courses will not be required to be vaccinated.
The release does not specify a requirement for faculty and staff but said they are “strongly urged to get the vaccine as vaccine supplies are made available to the wider population.”
Dory Devlin, a Rutgers spokeswoman, said in an email that the university determined that students have a positivity rate between 60% and 70% higher than faculty and staff.
“Given that students are easily identified as a cohort creating transmission and infection, we chose to concentrate on them,” she wrote. “Further, this is the community that goes back to their extended families and communities, and we believe that by concentrating on them, we will make New Jersey safer.”
The university website indicates Rutgers may require faculty and staff to get the vaccine at some point, specifying that it will not be required “at this time.”
The website also says students, faculty and staff who will be on campus must continue to participate in a university COVID testing program, practice social distancing and wear masks.
Other universities have been considering COVID-19 vaccination requirements, according to multiple published reports.