Stanford To Require COVID Vaccinations For All Students By Fall

PALO ALTO, CA — Stanford University will require all students returning to campus in the fall to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, joining a chorus of universities nationwide mandating vaccinations prior to the new school year.

In a letter to the campus community Thursday, Provost Persis Drell said that all students will be asked about their vaccine status prior to arriving on campus for the fall quarter, adding that the university will work to accommodate those who cannot take the vaccine for medical or religious reasons.

The decision came after a review of the conditions around the vaccine by Stanford’s COVID-19 Vaccine Governance Committee, which noted an increase in supply and greater availability of appointments.

“We believe this approach to student vaccination is necessary to support health and safety this fall,” Drell wrote. “Vaccinations are a critical component in our efforts to mitigate risk and protect one another’s health within our student environment.”

The university didn’t release any vaccine requirements for faculty and staff, but expects to announce a decision soon.

Also on Thursday, the University of California and Cal State University school systems announced they intend to require that all students, faculty and staff be vaccinated once the Food and Drug Administration gives formal approval to the vaccines.

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Earlier this month, Stanford announced plans to bring back all students for in-person instruction for the fall quarter. Drell said in an April 7 letter that Stanford plans for "as normal a fall as possible," depending on the pandemic's trajectory.

For more news and information about the vaccine rollout in California, visit Patch's information hub. Also, be sure to check out How To Get The Coronavirus Vaccine In California.