what happens if a student lies about being vaccinated? it’s something gulliver thinks students might be wondering.
and for educators teaching on campus, questioned uottawa associate professor and epidemiologist raywat deonandan, do they have to make accommodations for students who don’t get vaccinated? what will that look like?
still, deonandan said he’s “very pleased” with the university’s decision.
“the vaccine uptake amongst the student-age population is not as good as it could or should be,” he said.
in ontario, just over 72 per cent of those aged 18 to 29 have at least one vaccine dose, while 58.5 per cent have two. for all ontarians aged 12 and over, that coverage is over 81 per cent for one dose and approaching 72 per cent for two doses.
“we know that this pandemic right now is a pandemic of the unvaccinated. and that means the university population is ripe to be a hot zone for outbreaks,” said deonandan.“we don’t want that. so how do we avoid that? you get them all vaccinated.”
a pop-up vaccination clinic at the minto sports complex on campus is running daily, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and offering shots with no need for an appointment.
the university says all public health guidelines, including masking and physical distancing, remain in effect. and that’s important, according to deonandan.