U. of I. to require vaccinations for all students returning to its 3 campuses this fall

[Yavin4]

Great news.

The University of Illinois is requiring its 90,000 students to receive a COVID-19 vaccination before returning to its three campuses in the fall, officials said Monday.

The state’s flagship U. of I. system in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield appears to be the first public university in the state to require vaccinations. It becomes the latest Illinois university to require a shot after a handful of private institutions did the same.

“This requirement is consistent with our own scientific modeling of the risks associated with the spread of the virus and its variants,” university leaders wrote in an email to students, faculty and staff.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2021/6/21/22543763/university-illinois-uic-springfield-vaccination-shots-covid-students-coronavirus

Universities and colleges need to mandate vaccinations in order to head off another surge in the Fall/Early Winter months. Last Oct-Jan, we saw the highest surge in new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths largely due to the holidays season. I would guess that a good portion of this surge was due to students returning home for the holidays.

[SheltieLover]

1. Great!

Let's hope it is enough to protect from delta and now delta plus, the new variant!

[Ilsa]

2. I'm glad you specified Illinois.

My brain was set on Iowa and Indiana for some reason.

[rurallib]

3. Knew it couldn't be Iowa - our Guv (Reynolds) seems to be a covid enabler