US has administered over 200 million COVID vaccine doses: CDC
FOX News medical contributor Dr. Janette Nesheiwat weighs in on vaccination efforts and Johnson & Johnson distribution pause
Yale University and Columbia University have told students that they will be required to have received a COVID-19 vaccine if students wish to remain on campus in the fall, adding their names to the list of colleges mandating vaccination.
Fellow Ivy League schools, Cornell University and Brown University already announced that they will require proof of vaccinations for students who want to live on campus.
Columbia announced the new requirement as part of its COVID policy for fall 2021, saying the decision was made on the "strong recommendation" of public health colleagues.
"We regard this decision as essential to ensuring the health of Columbia students and the broader University and surrounding community, and also to containing the spread of the virus in New York City, one of the most severely affected locations in the country throughout this past 13 months," the statement read.
Columbia pledged to help students obtain vaccines in the event they are unable to do so in time for the start of the fall term. Exceptions will be made on religious or medical grounds, should they apply.
Yale also posted its new guidelines, saying that "there is abundant evidence of the vaccines' effectiveness and growing confidence that vaccines will be widely available by early summer."
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Yale will make exemptions on religious and medical grounds.
The new policies mean that half of the Ivy League universities will require vaccinations for students returning in the fall.
As for the other schools that make up the "Ancient Eight," Harvard University and Princeton University, meanwhile, only "strongly" encourage students to receive the vaccine.
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Dartmouth College has not indicated that it requires vaccines but has encouraged students to provide evidence if they do get shots, offering "privileges/freedoms" for students who are able to do so.
The University of Pennsylvania has not indicated any requirements on its website.
Anyone aged 16 years or older is now eligible for vaccination.
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It is not clear if any schools will permit remote learning for students who might request it.
Fox News reached out to some of the schools involved, but have yet to hear back.
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