SUNY Won’t Require Coronavirus Vaccinations For Students [POLL]

NEW YORK — With the age to receive a coronavirus vaccination being lowered to 16 effective Tuesday, thousands of college students around the state will be able roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated against the deadly disease.

State University of New York Chancellor Jim Malatras said Wednesday that his schools have now given out more than 750,000 vaccines to staff, faculty and the public at 36 campuses serving as state- and county-run vaccination sites.

The campuses are administering nearly 15,000 vaccines each day, a figure that is expected to grow as the state's vaccine supply increases. Some of the SUNY schools being used as mass vaccination sites include Albany, Orange and Stony Brook.

Factoring in the soon-to-be-eligible college-age students and Malatras said the system is prepared to vaccinate them.

"By proactively setting up these vaccine clinics very early in the rollout," he said, "we built the on-site infrastructure that we would eventually need to vaccinate students en masse as soon as they become eligible."

However, Malatras said it likely will not be mandatory for students to get the vaccine.

According to WKBW in Buffalo, he said people are voluntarily getting the vaccine because they want to "turn the page on COVID."

In neighboring New Jersey, Rutgers University has come to the decision that vaccines can be mandated, The Washington Post reported, and it will require students attending in-person classes in the fall to be fully vaccinated, taking into account medical or religious exemptions.

A university spokeswoman said the school is confident it has the legal authority to enforce the policy.

Now it's your turn to weigh in on the issue. Vote in our unscientific poll and tell us what you think in the comments.