MSU to Require Covid-19 Vaccines for Students, Faculty, Staff
Michigan State University has followed the University of Michigan in requiring that all students, staff, and faculty be vaccinated against Covid-19 before the start of the fall semester.
“I have been a constant advocate for the Covid-19 vaccine as the best defense against the spread of the disease and the clearest path to the resumption of our on-campus living and learning,” wrote MSU President Sam Stanley to faculty, students, and staff in his message today about the decision.
Stanley, who is a physician and infectious disease specialist, said that while response to the Covid-19 vaccine has been positive, he was concerned about the newest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that suggest that even vaccinated individuals may spread the delta variant in certain circumstances.
“All students, faculty and staff are required to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 with an FDA-authorized or WHO-approved vaccine by Aug. 31. Limited exemptions for medical or religious reasons will be provided,” said Stanley.
He promised more information in coming days and also said that beginning Aug. 1, masks must be worn indoors at all MSU locations across the state.
While colleges and universities around the country have issued similar requirements, administrators at public universities in Michigan have been hesitant to take such action because of concerns about state-level politics. Michigan’s Republican-majority legislature has been sharply at odds with Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, over many Covid-related policies.
But now, on the heels of new findings that the delta variant of Covid-19 is highly infectious and disproportionately dangerous for the unvaccinated, MSU officials have decided to issue a mandate.
The move has implications for the greater population of East Lansing who are in regular contact with MSU staff, students, and faculty by virtue of East Lansing being the home of MSU’s flagship campus.
Covid-19 has also impacted the local economy because of the town-gown relationship. When the disease rate was surging in East Lansing last year before vaccines became available, many older East Lansing residents told ELi they had stopped frequenting local businesses out of fear of being infected. One goal of those pushing vaccines is to help the economy by stabilizing workforces, educational systems, and consumer spending.
For years, MSU has been requiring that all incoming undergraduate students “complete a web-based immunization form reporting their immunization status, and updating it as it changes.” MSU has recommended but not required that students be vaccinated for hepatitis A and B, tetanus (lockjaw), diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), meningococcus (meningitis), varicella (chickenpox), measles, mumps, rubella, influenza (flu), HPV (genital warts, cervical cancer, anal cancer, penile cancer, throat cancer), polio, and pneumococcal polysaccharide (pneumonia).
It is because Covid-19 represents an unusually deadly pandemic that it is being treated by public health officials as being in a different category. In 2020, Covid-19 surged to become the third leading cause of death in the U.S., a rarity for a contagious disease. According to Health System Tracker, “in December 2020 and early 2021, the illness surged and briefly became the number one leading cause of death in the U.S., far surpassing even cancer and heart disease deaths in those months.”
Right now, the case load is relatively low in Ingham County. The latest data from the Ingham County Health Department is showing 16 confirmed active-hospitalization cases of Covid-19 including two people in intensive care, but none ventilated.
The 48823 (East Lansing) zip code continues to lead the county in total case count, but the 48911 and 48910 (Lansing) zip codes are now leading in terms of number of deaths from the disease. Local African American and Latino populations continue to have higher rates of death from Covid-19 than the white and non-Latino populations.
About 60% of Ingham County residents age 16 and up have received at least one vaccine dose, and about 96% of seniors in Ingham County have been vaccinated.
ELi recently reported on the debate at East Lansing Public Schools’ Board of Education meeting about how to manage Covid-19 in the K-12 population.
The University of Michigan announced its own vaccine-mandate decision on Friday, noting that “The announcement comes as the rate of Covid-19 infections increases across the country, particularly in states and subpopulations with the lowest vaccination rates and as the predominant delta variant proves to be much more infectious.”
Vaccines are now readily available. The easiest way to find locations near you is to text your zip code to 438829 or to go to vaccines.gov and search there.