Page 26 - BusinessWest Sept. 29, 2021
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 stop COVID-19 from spreading, and our best way to continue protecting each other’s well-being,” an official statement reads.
In the meantime, individuals who are not vac- cinated are required to participate in the univer- sity’s asymptomatic testing program.
UMass Amherst is also back to in-person learning, but is following public-health guidelines for wearing masks indoors and distancing where possible.
“The use of indoor masks, required on campus and in the town of Amherst ... reduce the spread
“For the most part, people get it. More than 1,000 U.S. colleges are requiring vaccines, so we’re among many at this point.”
of infection, said Ann Becker, Public Health direc- tor, and Jeffrey Hescock, executive director of Environmental Health and Safety, in the cam- pus’ Public Health Promotion Center, in a state- ment. But they also laid out the stark facts when it comes to vaccination.
“Our data shows that, among our vacci-
nated population, only 1.7% have tested posi- tive. Among the approximately 500 individuals who have received religious or medical exemp- tions from vaccination, 10.05% have tested posi- tive. We urge those not yet vaccinated to consider doing so.”
They noted, however, that positive cases have
been predominately among undergraduate off- campus students connected to unmasked social activities. “We have not seen any spread in aca- demic settings. Most cases continue to be of short duration, resulting in mild to moderate illness.”
UMass makes vaccine clinics readily availabe on campus, as do the 15 community colleges. HCC offers free COVID-19 vaccinations for four hours every Tuesday, as well as COVID-19 testing six days a week on campus through the Holyoke Board of Health.
Holyoke Community College President Christina Royal says the state’s community-college presidents are unified in their support of a vaccine mandate.
Royal was adamant that a vaccine mandate was the right call.
“I think this is in our collective best interest, for our community colleges and for our region as well,” she told BusinessWest. “At this point, the vaccines have been shown to be effective when
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