New Yorkers over 16 years old can now sign up for COVID-19 vaccinations starting Tuesday, and this means more college students are eligible for inoculation.
"I think it’s great. I think everybody should get the vaccine," said Pris Cillakhaladj, a final-year nursing student at SUNY Orange.
Jessica Faurot says this will create a better environment for learning in the fall.
"We need to be on campus, we need to be with our professors, we need to be with each other, and we need to practice our skills so that when we go out and we graduate, we are the best nurses that we can be," she said.
Only those needing to take lab courses returned in person on February 1 — about 15% of the student body.
"It’s been easier being here in person. Remote is tough," said Ande Cesta.
What You Need To Know
- New Yorkers 16 and older are eligible to receive the vaccine starting April 6
- Students at SUNY Orange in Middletown, where a state-run vaccination site is located, welcomed the news
- President Kristine Young is proposing a SUNY orange day, where students of the college can go next door on campus to get vaccinated
She travels to the Middletown campus from Pike County in Pennsylvania weekly, about an hour each way.
"Precautions are a little bit different in P.A. You can see by the percentage rate in Pike County how it's being handled different there than here in Orange County," she said.
Latest data shows the positivity rate in Pike County at 15%, compared to Orange County at 6%. She said she feels much safer here.
"I’ve had exposures (since getting) the vaccine, never ended up getting COVID again since I’ve had it. I think it’s great if every student could be vaccinated," she said.
SUNY Orange President Kristine Young is grateful for the expanded eligibility.
"I celebrate that our state and our country is in a position to make vaccinations available to everyone," she said.
The state-run vaccination site in Middletown is located on the SUNY Orange campus, making access even easier for students, faculty, and staff.
"I’m talking with the leadership to see if we can have a SUNY orange day, or a special day to get our employees and our students into those sites," Young said.
Spectrum News asked Young if there was any indication yet on whether or not students would be required to be vaccinated ahead of the fall semester.
While acknowledging the complicated nature of making such a determination, she said it is not required at this time, but she is imploring her students to trust the science and get vaccinated.