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The State University of New York system announced the end of its emergency COVID-19 vaccine mandate for its 64 campuses on Tuesday, effective at the beginning of the summer.

SUNY previously required all students accessing SUNY facilities in-person to receive a COVID-19 vaccination at least thirty days before the start of each given term, according to the system’s COVID-19 Vaccination Policy.

Now, COVID-19 vaccinations will be “strongly encouraged” for students, faculty and staff, along with vaccinations for other viruses like influenza and mpox. The City University of New York system announced a similar change in requirements for its 22 colleges, effective on May 23.

“The safety of SUNY’s students is our first and foremost priority, and while COVID is no longer an emergency, we will not lose sight of the impact it continues to have on us,” SUNY Chancellor John B. King said in SUNY’s news release.

Tuesday’s announcement follows a bipartisan resolution signed into law Monday by President Joe Biden to terminate the COVID-19 national public emergency. The national health emergency was set to expire on May 11 after repeated extensions under the Biden administration after former President Donald Trump’s initial declaration in March 2020. This week’s declaration does not affect the end of the separate public health emergency, which will still end on May 11.

David Larsen, professor of public health at Syracuse University’s Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, said public health emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic tend to progress more quickly than standard governance processes. He said the pace allows the government to mandate vaccinations and mobilize resources, and the end of the emergency does not mean the end of COVID-19.

“We know COVID will be around, but it’s just that next step towards normalizing society in the presence of COVID,” Larsen said.

In December 2021, Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a student vaccine mandate and a booster requirement for students at SUNY and CUNY schools for the spring 2022 semester. SUNY’s announcement marks the end of that emergency vaccine mandate.

Although vaccination will no longer be a condition of enrollment at SUNY schools, the updated policy still requires students enrolled in programs, courses or internships held at third-party locations to comply with the location’s vaccination and testing protocols.

In the release, SUNY referenced the U.S.’s declining COVID-19 infection rates and the high vaccination rate in the state of New York. Samuel Gorovitz, philosophy professor and former dean of SU’s College of Arts and Sciences, said the decision is based on scientific evidence.

“The SUNY decision is justifiable based on the most recent science, especially given that their policy explicitly allows for more stringent requirements under certain conditions,” Gorovitz said.

The changed policy also notes that certain employees, students and volunteers at healthcare facilities, which include SUNY healthcare facilities, hospitals and medical schools, may be subject to mandatory COVID- 19 vaccination.

Syracuse’s SUNY Upstate Medical University requires mandatory health clearance forms for new students, requiring proof of immunity from the COVID-19 vaccine series, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella and proof of three Hepatitis B vaccinations. The website has not been updated since SUNY’s announcement on Tuesday.

SUNY ESF also still has not updated its COVID-19 vaccination information since the announcement. The website still lists SUNY Policy 3100, which requires all students accessing SUNY facilities to receive the COVID-19 vaccination series. ESF students were required to submit their vaccination prior to arrival on campus.

According to the release, SUNY’s Public Health Expert Advisory Committee – a group of physicians and experts in infectious disease, public health and neuroscience – made the decision to end the mandate. The group convened earlier this year to collect and review infection rates and vaccination data, the release said.

COVID-19 cases have been on decline in New York state. The state’s reported positive cases for the week of March 31 have decreased by about 72% compared to the week of March 31, 2022. Just under 80% of 18-34 year olds across the state have completed their primary vaccination series, according to the release.

As of April 6, the COVID-19 hospital admissions rate is around 22% of the total reported case rate in Onondaga County.

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Syracuse University has continued to require full vaccination and boosters as soon as students are eligible.

“Vaccination is the single most important step that we can all take to protect ourselves, loved ones, our campus and community from severe COVID-19 infection, hospitalization and death,” the SU Stay Safe website reads. “A widely vaccinated community safeguards the health, wellness and safety of our students, faculty, staff and the surrounding community.”

In August 2022, SU made masking optional on campus regardless of vaccination status. Students can still make appointments for COVID-19 testing services through the Barnes Center at The Arch and access testing kits at vending locations on campus.

“SUNY’s updated public health policy for COVID-19 is in line with other city, state, and national action to relax the mandate, and also provides campuses with protocols to keep campuses safe should there be any uptick in cases,” said Mantosh Dewan and Wayne Riley, co-chairs of SUNY’s Public Health Expert Workgroup and respective presidents of SUNY Upstate and Downstate Medical, in the release.

SUNY will continue to monitor and examine COVID-19 data and update its policy based on local conditions and requirements, the release reads. The new policy will also continue to require reports of the vaccination status of enrolled students to SUNY System Administration. The school system also reserves the authority to change its protocols at any time.

With SUNY’s decision contributing to New York’s transition to the “post-pandemic” world, Gorovitz said, it’s important for universities to learn from mistakes in dealing with past pandemics.

“We need to be respectful of history and what we can learn from history,” Gorovitz said. “And we need to be prepared for a future which is not post-pandemic, but is a future of preparedness and sophistication in handling the various pandemics that we will always have to confront.”

Published on April 13, 2023 at 12:46 am

Contact Kendall: kaluther@syr.edu