University System Of Maryland Requires COVID-19 Vaccination

MARYLAND — The University System of Maryland announced Friday that all students, faculty and staff who want to be on campus in the fall needed to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

University of Maryland Chancellor Jay A. Perman issued the order, citing the spread of the virus among younger people, increasing presence of variants and the availability of the vaccine.

"We see that the risk of vaccines is very low, whereas the risk of COVID is very high — and that risk is increasingly falling on young people," Perman, who is also a physician, said in a meeting Friday morning before the Board of Regents and University System of Maryland presidents. "This is no longer a disease for the old."

In Baltimore City, the health commissioner reported a fourth wave of the virus was infecting those 20 to 29 and 40 to 49 this month. Younger people are also driving infections in Harford County, where the health officer said coronavirus positivity topped 10 percent in early April and was mainly hitting those 15 to 60.

"Young people are not only getting infected; they’re getting sick," Perman said.

About 30 to 40 percent of the positive coronavirus samples examined by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, which is studying 10 percent of them statewide, are showing the B.1.1.7 variant, or "UK variant,” according to the chancellor.

"The variant is more contagious — some studies suggest more dangerous," Perman said. "That’s what we’re preparing for: more infectious, more harmful variants that we think could be circulating on our campuses come fall."

Variants and the desire to protect public health of students and staff factored into the decision to mandate COVID-19 vaccination on University System of Maryland campuses, the chancellor said.

"I’m convinced that the risk of doing too little to contain COVID on campus this fall is far greater than the risk of doing too much," Perman said. "For this reason, I’m requiring that all eligible students, faculty, and staff who will be on our Maryland campuses this fall be vaccinated against COVID."

The requirement will apply to "students, faculty and staff regularly on campus — including those teaching a class or taking a class on campus — prior to the start of the fall semester," Perman said. "Of course, we’ll comply with all federal and state laws in granting appropriate exemptions for medical or religious reasons."

University System of Maryland campuses include Bowie State University; Coppin State University; Frostburg State University; Salisbury University; Towson University; University of Baltimore; University of Maryland, Baltimore; University of Maryland, Baltimore County; University of Maryland, College Park; University of Maryland Eastern Shore; University of Maryland Global Campus; University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science; Universities at Shady Grove; University System of Maryland at Hagerstown; and University System of Maryland at Southern Maryland.

"To those who might ask, 'Why now? Why not wait several weeks, a few more months, until we know even more?'" Perman pointed to “our students, their parents, our faculty and staff. They're asking me now whether the campuses they're coming back to this fall — the campuses their children are coming back to this fall — will be safe. They're making their decisions now based on whether they can have confidence in the fact that we'll do everything we can to protect them. I need to give them an answer and, to me, it's hard to imagine that answer being anything other than, 'Yes, we'll use everything we have in this fight against COVID.'"

Related:

• 'Fourth Wave' Of Coronavirus Is In Harford County: Health Officer
• All MD Residents 16 And Up Can Get COVID-19 Vaccine
• 14 MD Jurisdictions In Red Zone, 4th COVID Wave Hits

About 15,000 students are living on campus now, Perman said.

"Come fall, we expect more than double that number, plus thousands more living in the neighborhoods around campus; thousands more commuting to and from campus; thousands more using university services, spaces, and buildings," Perman said, in addition to interacting with staff and faculty. "Containing COVID spread with that kind of campus density requires much more serious intervention, and that means vaccination."

The chancellor said other preventive measures and protocols would continue, in addition to the vaccination mandate:

• Pre-arrival COVID-19 testing for those coming to campus
• Surveillance testing for coronavirus
• More frequent coronavirus testing of those at higher risk of transmission
• Symptom checks
• Masking

"For most of this spring, our universities have had a campus positivity rate averaging below 1 percent," the chancellor reported, citing the use of preventive measures.

"The Maryland/DC region can be a leader here. We already are," Perman said. "With the USM requiring COVID vaccination, we’ll measurably strengthen the public health bulwark established by our colleagues at Hopkins, Georgetown, American, George Washington — leading institutions that have already mandated vaccination," Perman said. "This cluster of institutions committed to public health doesn’t just make our campuses safer; it makes our state safer, our region safer."

Gov. Larry Hogan this week also encouraged all college students to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

"Everyone who studies at any Maryland higher education institution is strongly encouraged to get vaccinated," Hogan said Wednesday, April 21, at a news conference about the "No Arm Left Behind" campaign.

"State health officials are partnering with the Maryland Higher Education Commission to conduct direct outreach to all campuses in the state, and we’re blocking off and reserving appointments at mass vaccination sites specifically for college and university students, including reserving slots at the Greenbelt FEMA sites specifically for students at College Park," Hogan said. "We will be partnering with 42 public and private universities, colleges and community colleges on public information, social media and ad campaign to ensure that we get our students vaccinated."

See Also:

• U.S. Rep. Andy Harris Disagrees With Maryland University Mandate
• Towson Requiring COVID-19 Vaccination To Return To Campus
• Virginia Colleges Mull Legality Of Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccine