MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — Wesleyan University confirmed on Monday that they are requiring students to be vaccinated by next fall.
The university told FOX61 News in a statement Tuesday that it expects the fall semester will return to residential life and a "close-knit" campus environment. As such, all students will be required to receive a COVID-19 vaccine before returning to campus.
"Every student (with the exception of those who have approved medical or religious exemptions) will need to verify with the University that they are fully vaccinated prior to their arrival," explained the school.
For students who are currently studying on campus, Wesleyan said the university and the community health center will sponsor a vaccination clinic.
Due to the FDA review of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, details regarding the clinic will be provided later.
|With all students fully vaccinated before Arrival Day in the fall, our campus community will be closer to achieving much-desired herd immunity. This will also improve our chances of enjoying a more 'normal' semester—perhaps even one filled again with 'supportive intimacy rather than social distancing,'" President Roth recently wrote on his blog. We eagerly anticipate this possibility.
As of April 12, 52% of Connecticut residents ages 16 years and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. There have been 977,061 people fully vaccinated in the state and the number has been growing daily.
About 30% of people between the ages of 16 and 44 years of age have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine since becoming eligible on April 1.
Gov. Ned Lamont said the vaccines will be distributed to schools and colleges across the state, along with other strategies.
"We're going to be bringing the vaccine schools, we're going to bring the vaccine to colleges, we had young people on TV telling their friends and friends of friends they got to do it," said Lamont.
According to the Hartford Courant, about 2,000 students have signed up to get the vaccine from April 24 to 25.
Connecticut planned to use Johnson & Johnson for the vaccine clinics for colleges because it only required one shot.
The plan is now to give students at least one shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and then have them get the other one in their home state.
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