American colleges and universities hope to return to pre-COVID life in the fall. Some schools urge students to receive the vaccine, but others wonder if they should or could legally apply for it.
Colleges and universities intending to return to personal teaching have launched campaigns to vaccinate students before the summer.
Universities, including Rutgers, Brown, Cornell and Northeastern, recently told students that they must get vaccinated before returning to classes in the fall. I hope it arrives herd immunity among the student population. They think it would allow them to lift space restrictions.
“It simply came to our notice then ambiguity about whether individuals should be vaccinated, ”said Kenneth Henderson. He is the head of Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.
He added that ensuring that students are vaccinated will tell the city or the surrounding city that “we take everything right measures. ”
Northeastern colleges and other colleges that require shootings believe they have a legal right to request vaccination of students. It is not uncommon for colleges to require students to be vaccinated for other diseases. Last year, a court dropped a flu vaccination requirement at the University of California.
Leave the decision to the students
However, some colleagues believe that they cannot legally request vaccinations and leave the decisions to the students.
Virginia Tech University officials say they cannot legally apply for the vaccine because it has not received full approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA has only approved some vaccines for emergency use in the United States
Legal experts say that approving the emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines makes a legal request more likely. And some colleagues may not need the vaccine to avoid legal issues.
Glenn Cohen, a law professor at Harvard, teaches health law and bioethics. He argued that there was no legal reason why colleges would not be allowed to request COVID-19 vaccinations. It makes no difference that the shootings did not receive full approval, he said.
The problem is that there is no federal law or court decision that will help colleges and universities decide how to move forward.
Other legal issues
The biggest problems could arise in states that have already banned or intend to ban any vaccination requirements, Cohen said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis banned all businesses this month from requiring anyone to provide proof of vaccination. The order raises concerns for Nova Southeastern University in Florida. Plan to ask students, teachers and professors to get vaccinated. The president of the college said he would “comply with the laws of our state and all federal directives.”
Texas also has a ban on vaccination requirements.
And then there are other issues for schools that need the vaccine. Federal law says colleges must work with any student who refuses a vaccine for medical or religious reasons. There is also no widely accepted evidence of vaccination documents.
At Northeastern, officials are still deciding whether students will be asked to show some kind of vaccine file or just be asked if they have been vaccinated.
“We would expect students to be honest,” Henderson said.
American colleges are also struggling with what to expect from international students. Some may not have access to vaccines in their home countries. And some may not have access to vaccines approved for emergency use in the United States
Several colleagues say they intend to make photos available to international students upon their arrival.
Northeastern student Tyler Lee said he believes the need for vaccinations is the right measure because it will help stop the spread of the virus and protect the community. The students agree with the decision, he said.
“It’s the Northeastern decision,” said Tyler Lee. “If I didn’t like it, I would transfer. And that’s what most students feel, “he added.
This is Susan Shand.
The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for learning English. Hai Do was the editor.
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Words in this story
herd immunity – n. Immunity to the herd is a form of protection against infectious diseases when a large percentage of the population has become immune to an infection, either through vaccination or previous infections, thus reducing the likelihood of infection for people who do not have immunity.
ambiguity – n. something that does not have a single clear meaning
right – adj. correct or appropriate for a particular purpose or situation
bioethics – n. the study of ethical issues resulting from advances in biology and medicine.
transfer – v. move to another school
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