US colleges will require students to be vaccinated, despite state policies
Cornell, Brown, Notre Dame, Northeastern, Syracuse, Ithaca and Fort Lewis have made similar announcements, though all will make exceptions for medical or religious reasons. Cornell has also created an online registration tool so students and staff can register their vaccination status.
Two colleges, St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, and Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in Broward, Florida, have gone a step further, requiring students and all campus employees to be vaccinated.
NSU’s policy puts it on a collision course with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. After NSU’s announcement on April 1 DeSantis signed an executive order stating that vaccines are available but not mandated. Crucially the order prohibits any government entity or business from requiring a vaccine passport. NSU said Thursday that it is reviewing the executive order.
Vaccine passports are a divisive subject and DeSantis has plenty of company in opposing them. Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has signed an executive order forbidding agencies in the state from requiring a vaccine for any service and Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed a similar order on Wednesday. Critics of vaccine passports point to privacy concerns and fears of overreach by authorities. The White House has made clear that it will not create a federal “vaccine passport” or require shots for travelers or businesses.
But President Joe Biden’s administration does expect the private sector to create such documents. For many college students returning to campus, proof of inoculation may be the quickest way back to university life.
YOU ASKED. WE ANSWERED.
Q. Are blood clots linked to the AstraZeneca shot more common in women?
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) safety committee chair Sabine Straus said this week that, so far, most of the cases have occurred in women under age 60. But Straus cautioned that the agency did not have enough data based on age and sex to be sure about any particular risk profiles.
The EMA can’t be sure, for example, that women are not experiencing these clotting events in higher numbers simply because more women are being vaccinated. But it also means it hasn’t ruled out the possibility that women are at greater risk.
Women are more predisposed to certain clotting events, such as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, clotting in the sinuses that drain blood from the brain, than men. So a question for further analysis is whether women in particular are experiencing these clotting events at a higher incidence than usual.
WHAT’S IMPORTANT TODAY
Japanese doctors perform world-first living donor lung transplant to a Covid-19 patient
A 30-strong medical team operated on the woman for 11 hours Wednesday to transplant lung tissue from her husband and son, according to Kyoto University Hospital.
The virus can cause severe lung damage in some patients, and people around the world — including the US — have received lung transplants as part of their recovery. But the Kyoto hospital said this case was the first in which lung tissue was transplanted from living donors to a patient.
The woman, who is from Japan’s western region of Kansai, contracted Covid-19 late last year, and spent months on a life support machine that worked as an artificial lung. She remains in intensive care and her husband and son are both in a stable condition.
AstraZeneca fallout continues
Countries around the world have altered their vaccine rollouts after health regulators found a possible link between AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 shot and rare blood clots.
Multiple authorities have emphasized that the AstraZeneca vaccine’s benefits continue to outweigh the risks.
Spain also updated its guidance for the AstraZeneca vaccine on Thursday, announcing it will only be given to people aged between 60 and 69, while Portugal recommended the shot for those 60 and older.
In France, officials will offer an alternative second shot for those under 55 who have already received a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the country’s health authority said Friday. Over 2.5 million people in France have received one dose of AstraZeneca.
Vaccine hesitancy remains high in US rural communities
More than half of rural residents in the US have received a Covid-19 vaccine or plan to, but one in five still say they will definitely not get vaccinated, according to an analysis released by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) Friday.
KFF researchers surveyed 1,001 adults living in rural America and reported that 54% said they have received a Covid-19 vaccine or plan to.
“There’s nothing inherently unique about living in a rural area that makes people balk at getting vaccinated,” KFF President and CEO Drew Altman said in a statement.
“It’s just that rural areas have a larger share of people in the most vaccine-resistant groups: Republicans and White Evangelical Christians.”
The report suggests that access to vaccines is not the major problem for rural communities but researchers did note a gap in access among Black rural residents.
ON OUR RADAR
- India has reported 13 million total cases of coronavirus, making it only the third country in the world to do so.
- The pandemic has pushed millions of parents out of the workforce, resulting in lost wages, career plans and often, a sense of purpose beyond family life. Employers stand to lose out as well.
- The number of Johnson & Johnson shots allocated by the US government to states and other jurisdictions is expected to drop 84% next week, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in a major setback for state rollouts.
- Nik Sennhauser used to fly every three weeks or so before the pandemic. Now he’s creating airplane meals to get through lockdown.
Nik Sennhauser recreates airline food at home
TODAY’S TOP TIPS
Indoor dining and drinking at restaurants and bars is riskier than some other places for a few reasons, according to the CDC: Not only are people from different households gathering in the same space, but you have to remove your mask to eat and drink.
If you’re planning to eat out, first check whether the restaurant is complying with the CDC’s recommended prevention measures. Restaurants that reduce risks include those that have outdoor, distanced seating available; have both staff and guests wear masks when not eating or drinking; and have their menu available online.
Eating and drinking at an establishment’s outdoor space is safer, the CDC says, and you should also limit your alcohol consumption so that you can use adequate judgment. Ask for individually wrapped condiments — including salt, pepper and ketchup — if possible, and don’t share food.
TODAY’S PODCAST
“It’s not 80% of the adult population that needs to be vaccinated, it’s 80% of the population.”– Dr. Richard Besser, pediatrician and former acting director of the CDC.
