Covid-19

[crusader05]

I can't imagine Valpo wouldn't require vaccines. That will be a significant relief on mitigation policies and procedures and it's not like vaccines haven't been required for ages for college students. Especially something as contagious as COVID has come to be. I think IN Is slower partly do the rigid age roll-out. It kept the procedure orderly and efficient but I don't know that it allowed for the same capacity as others with more lax. Also, it did seem like expansion to the private pharmacies went out slower than in other states with a lot of stuff being focused through the state health department.

[bbtds]

This map shows the states where vaccinations are the slowest.  As you can see, the deep South leads the way in slowness but Indiana is right there with them.  What's up with that?

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations

I heard that at least 60% of adults have to be vaccinated before we can start to bring this epidemic to an end. It seems that a lot of people are figuring that enough people will get vaccinated so they don't have to. In the meantime we look like a society of mask wearing zombies, and people are still dying every day from the disease. My daughter and son-in-law have put it off, even though my wife and I got vaccinated with next to no side effects. So, what happened? My daughter and 2 of their 3 children tested positive 3 days ago. Now the whole family is in quarantine, the boys can't go to school, mom and dad have to work from home, my one grandson will miss multiple track meets, not to mention that my daughter is extremely fatigued and all the other stuff that goes with COVID. My advice to everyone - do your civic duty and get the freaking shots. Yes, there's a minuscule risk of an adverse reaction, but we assume some element of risk in everything we do.

So are you ever going to acknowledge that the previous president approached this pandemic all wrong (saying it would be gone by Easter 2020, not encouraging the wearing of facemasks, saying that covid did not effect him despite that former president receiving an expensive medical treatment that most of us can't afford) and that the current president has done an excellent job of getting shots in arms and getting this country on the slow movement of getting back to normal?

[vu84v2]

bbts - wh's daughter, son-in-law, and grandchild are sick. Let's just wish them a speedy recovery with no complications. No need for a political argument when someone's loved ones are suffering.

[wh]

I can't imagine Valpo wouldn't require vaccines. That will be a significant relief on mitigation policies and procedures and it's not like vaccines haven't been required for ages for college students. Especially something as contagious as COVID has come to be. I think IN Is slower partly do the rigid age roll-out. It kept the procedure orderly and efficient but I don't know that it allowed for the same capacity as others with more lax. Also, it did seem like expansion to the private pharmacies went out slower than in other states with a lot of stuff being focused through the state health department.

I hope you're right. I'm all about freedom of choice, but our society cannot continue to make special accommodations centered around people who would rather remain masked up, holed up, and social distanced than get vaccinated. If you're a student who doesn't want to get the shot, fine. Take online classes until you change your mind or graduate, whichever comes first. In the meantime, students who no longer need to play the COVID game can resume normal college life. 

[crusader05]

I don't really think that the people who don't want to get vaccinated have a lot of overlap with those who have been diligent about masking and social distancing.

[wh]

I don't really think that the people who don't want to get vaccinated have a lot of overlap with those who have been diligent about masking and social distancing.

I know what you're saying, and you could be right. At this point, I really don't care who the people are or what their rationale is.

[crusader05]

I agree.

I am respectful that vaccines can make people nervous but that can't override the evidence and the  need. Much as I'm sure for those people who were more anxious about COVID even being told its "safe" may not feel like enough doesn't mean we don't have policy that matches the current level.

I feel like we will soon be in that weird space where the "pandemic" is over but COVID is still out there at higher levels that may concern those that are immuno compromised and unable to be vaccinated. I hope all people have patience and grace with each other as we navigate this transition back.

[wh]

I agree.

I am respectful that vaccines can make people nervous but that can't override the evidence and the  need. Much as I'm sure for those people who were more anxious about COVID even being told its "safe" may not feel like enough doesn't mean we don't have policy that matches the current level.

I feel like we will soon be in that weird space where the "pandemic" is over but COVID is still out there at higher levels that may concern those that are immuno compromised and unable to be vaccinated. I hope all people have patience and grace with each other as we navigate this transition back.

Thank you for pointing that out. That's the danger of making a blanket statement.

[valpopal]

I can't imagine Valpo wouldn't require vaccines. That will be a significant relief on mitigation policies and procedures and it's not like vaccines haven't been required for ages for college students. Especially something as contagious as COVID has come to be. I think IN Is slower partly do the rigid age roll-out. It kept the procedure orderly and efficient but I don't know that it allowed for the same capacity as others with more lax. Also, it did seem like expansion to the private pharmacies went out slower than in other states with a lot of stuff being focused through the state health department.

I hope you're right. I'm all about freedom of choice, but our society cannot continue to make special accommodations centered around people who would rather remain masked up, holed up, and social distanced than get vaccinated. If you're a student who doesn't want to get the shot, fine. Take online classes until you change your mind or graduate, whichever comes first. In the meantime, students who no longer need to play the COVID game can resume normal college life.

As I reported previously, Pres. Padilla has announced that this spring graduation ceremonies will be in-person. Also, I am told Valpo will require vaccines of all in the fall with some obvious exemptions.

[valpopal]

As I reported previously, Pres. Padilla has announced that this spring graduation ceremonies will be in-person. Also, I am told Valpo will require vaccines of all in the fall with some obvious exemptions.

It is now official. The Valparaiso University has announced all faculty, staff, and students must be vaccinated for Covid before returning for fall semester. Limited exemptions on religious or medical grounds will be considered. 

[bb33]

Hopefully this will help the kids have a relatively normal year next year.   

[78crusader]

The 18 - 29 age group accounts 0.0037% of all Covid deaths in this country. I will give President Trump credit for operation warp speed, but let's face it, no one really knows whether there will be any long-term negative effects from the vaccine. I believe a valid argument can be made that the potential risks to college-age students getting the vaccine outweigh the potential risk of contracting the virus, which for the vast majority of young people results in mild and transient symptoms.

Another hasty and unnecessary decision by the University.

Paul

[sfnmman]

From An Earlier Comment:  The 18 - 29 age group accounts 0.0037% of all Covid deaths in this country. I will give President Trump credit for operation warp speed, but let's face it, no one really knows whether there will be any long-term negative effects from the vaccine. I believe a valid argument can be made that the potential risks to college-age students getting the vaccine outweigh the potential risk of contracting the virus, which for the vast majority of young people results in mild and transient symptoms.

Another hasty and unnecessary decision by the University.

Response:  Do you know what the longterm effects is of getting Covid and recovering is?  Such an infection has not been studied long enough to determine if there are any long term negative effects, even to a small minority.  Vaccines have been administered and studied for many years including their general mechanisms of action even though the specific ones for Covid may be relatively new.  I would rather go with the preponderance of the medical community that proclaims them worth the risk rather than an outlier group that raises doubt but with little or no credible evidence.  And by the way, President Trump had little or no significant contribution to the speed of vaccine development that has been substantiated by anything credible that I have heard about.  Give credit to the scientists and researchers (many non-US) where credit is due.

[valpo64]

It looks like we have some new members of the "Mask Generation".

[78crusader]

I would rather go with the preponderance of the medical community that proclaims them worth the risk rather than an outlier group that raises doubt but with little or no credible evidence.

It appears the criticism of those who choose not to get the vaccine is in full swing.  Rather than call such persons "outliers," I would submit they are being cautious about taking a vaccine approved for emergency use.  Young people especially should be wary - no one has any idea of the long term effects of the vaccine - for example, if a 23-year old woman decides not to get the shot since there are no studies on whether the vaccine has a deleterious effect on fertility, that is a perfectly reasonable choice. 

I got the vaccine since at age 65 I am at higher risk than, say, the 23-year old mentioned above.  I am not anti-vaccine.  I simply made the point that for young people, there can be a genuine, legitimate debate of the risks involved in getting the vaccine vs not getting the vaccine - and they shouldn't be forced to get vaccinated by VU.

Paul

[sfnmman]

Here's some current advice from the medical community for young people:

Young people should get vaccinated to avoid the long-term consequences of Covid-19, the director of the National Institutes of Health said Wednesday,
its"one critical way to prevent long Covid is to prevent Covid itself," NIH director Dr. Francis Collins said at a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing. "Even for young people who consider their risk of severe Covid to be low, the long-term consequences can be quite serious. So long Covid represents one more reason to encourage everyone age 16 and over to get vaccinated as quickly as possible."

[78crusader]

Here's some more advice, this time from Dr. Fauci, issued just today: children should continue wearing masks ... while playing OUTSIDE.

Paul

[crusader05]

It's good to remember that people in public health and the CDC also recommend things like not eating eggs sunnyside up or meat cooked Rare.

They're always going to be more cautious than the general populace. Their guidance for kids is the same as for all unvaccinated people. Right now, they view any risk to passing the virus on prior to herd immunity as something to be mitigated as they will view most lives lost as unnecessary due to our current vaccination process. Which is why we should encourage young people who are eligible to get vaccinated. The reality is we know much more about long-term risks for vaccines than we do long-term risks for COVID.

[FWalum]

Saw it pointed out by some of the conservative news organizations that the attendees at the President's speech last night sent the exact wrong message on COVID. Everyone in that room had been vaccinated yet they all sat 6 feet apart and were wearing masks, in some cases double masks. If you wanted to send the message of hope for the future the place should have been packed with vaccinated people and it should have been explained that our normal social lives can once again be obtained if people are vaccinated to protect the people around them. The spectacle last night just showed continued fear and governmental confusion because the CDC actually now states that masks are not required in completely vaccinated groups even indoors. 

[valpo64]

Amen! Brother...but the show must go on!

[crusadermoe]

Trump certainly had big flaws. But no one can take away his work on Operation Warp Speed.  But the dufus on this board a few posts back said he knows of no evidence Trump played any role in the vaccine rollout.  It's lot information voters like him that give us Maxine Waters, Gerald Nadler, and the squad.   

How about the fact that they pre-negotiated prices with drug prices so that they could immediately go out to the public?  And how about ordering them in hand so that they could go immediately once tests succeeded. 

Cringeworthy to see Biden trying to act like his 100 days had an impact.

[vu84v2]

Saw it pointed out by some of the conservative news organizations that the attendees at the President's speech last night sent the exact wrong message on COVID. Everyone in that room had been vaccinated yet they all sat 6 feet apart and were wearing masks, in some cases double masks. If you wanted to send the message of hope for the future the place should have been packed with vaccinated people and it should have been explained that our normal social lives can once again be obtained if people are vaccinated to protect the people around them. The spectacle last night just showed continued fear and governmental confusion because the CDC actually now states that masks are not required in completely vaccinated groups even indoors. 

I do not think that the assumption that everyone in the room had been vaccinated is true (it is probably very close). My guess is that, like the rest of the population, there are some senators and representatives who refuse to get vaccinates. However, I agree with you if your assumptions are true. They could have set a policy of "no social distancing, no masks, more in attendance" by requiring all attendees to show that they have been vaccinated. That would have sent a far more positive message about vaccinations...but it also would have created a firestorm of people complaining that they or others were somehow discriminated against because they chose not to be vaccinated.

[Pgmado]

Here is what makes me laugh...

My stepfather telling me he doesn't want to get the vaccine because he doesn't know what's in it, yet he eats at McDonald's three days a week.

A friend of mine in Valpo telling me she doesn't want the vaccine because she doesn't want the government to track her. She sent me that in a Facebook message.

One eats food that isn't real and the other is already being tracked...yet the vaccine is the problem?

[vu84v2]

The 18 - 29 age group accounts 0.0037% of all Covid deaths in this country. I will give President Trump credit for operation warp speed, but let's face it, no one really knows whether there will be any long-term negative effects from the vaccine. I believe a valid argument can be made that the potential risks to college-age students getting the vaccine outweigh the potential risk of contracting the virus, which for the vast majority of young people results in mild and transient symptoms.

Another hasty and unnecessary decision by the University.

Paul

Back to the post that started this debate.

What do you propose Valpo should do? Private universities like Valpo must have in-person teaching and can't afford to have classrooms socially distanced. Online education is poor, hybrid classes are not good enough. Students need to have a social and campus life as close as possible to pre-COVID - parties, clubs, events, concerts, sporting events, etc. Private universities charge a premium for the education and environment they provide and without everything I listed (and more) that premium is not justifiable. Wearing masks is uncomfortable at best. Universities need revenues from revenue-generating sports. And, with all of that, the university needs to be safe for students, faculty and staff. Requiring vaccinations for students, faculty and staff, given voluminous information from medical experts, is the best option (though it is not perfect).

As for your point that the decision was "hasty"...parents and students are making choices of what school to attend now (submitting the deposit is the real inflection point of choice). The deadline for deposits is probably (soft) May 1st and (hard) June 1st. Making the decision in July would create more unknowns for families that need to make choices now.

[justducky]

Here is what makes me laugh...

My stepfather telling me he doesn't want to get the vaccine because he doesn't know what's in it, yet he eats at McDonald's three days a week.

A friend of mine in Valpo telling me she doesn't want the vaccine because she doesn't want the government to track her. She sent me that in a Facebook message.

One eats food that isn't real and the other is already being tracked...yet the vaccine is the problem?

Folks who listen only to their left or right wing news sources should do so at their own risks. Personally I want to know how business people are assembling and interpreting information to best advance their profit motivations. They tend to over research their studies and their numbers. They need their clearest pictures of reality, science and probability to be successful. Tune business in and listen to every point of view. Tune the morons out! In 6 or less months reality will start migrating toward the center and the center is where reality has always hidden.

Oh--- and business is very largely (close to overwhelmingly) pro vaccination and that should not be a surprise!