Editorial: Let’s cross the finish line

By April 19, every Pennsylvania resident, age 16 and older, will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. 

The vaccine rollout in Pennsylvania has been rocky, as it has been carried out much more slowly and in a less organized manner than most other states. 

Pennsylvania is still in Phase 1B of distribution, which includes essential workers in specific sectors, whereas states like New York have already made the vaccine available to all residents via Phase 2 as of April 6. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pennsylvania is ranked 30th in the nation in terms of vaccine doses administered per 100,000 people. Only 1.6 million of the 12.8 million residents have been fully vaccinated. 

However, Pennsylvania residents at the college age will soon be eligible to receive the vaccine. 

Lehigh has been sending messages encouraging students to get vaccinated through the Lehigh Valley Health Network and has been providing information to help students find and schedule appointments. 

However, the question is, is it enough to just encourage students to get vaccinated, or does it need to be required? 

With Lehigh promising a full return to campus access come fall, it is likely that students will need to be fully vaccinated for this to be possible and successful. 

Additionally, if they are going to require full vaccination, it needs to be done this semester. 

According to data from The New York Times more than 120,000 COVID-19 cases have been linked to colleges and universities. 

Lehigh is no exception from these statistics, seeing in the beginning of the spring semester we had a nine percent positivity rate from on and off campus students upon our return to school. 

The number of cases of students testing positive have dropped significantly and have stayed consistently low throughout the semester. However, this is likely because many students have antibodies from contracting the virus and are not required to do surveillance testing for three months after the date of their positive test result. This false sense of “immunity” to the virus will not last forever, and unless we want to see another spike in cases, students need to be vaccinated as soon as possible.

At least eight universities have already announced that they will be requiring students to be vaccinated for the coming fall semester and have purchased the vaccine in bulk in order to ensure that the student body has easy access.

If Lehigh is to require the vaccine, access will be a key factor in ensuring feasibility. Due to the international spread of Lehigh’s student body, it is unrealistic to expect that all Lehigh students will be able to be vaccinated in their hometowns. There is the potential to control immunity on this campus, but the only way to accomplish that is by ensuring each student, regardless of background, can get the vaccine. 

In addition to promising a return to normal campus life in the fall, Lehigh has also made the  announcement to hold an in-person commencement for the Classes of 2020 and 2021, this May. 

Although the event will be outdoors, socially distanced and all attendees will be required to wear masks, this event will draw a sizable crowd from all over the nation. 

Is Lehigh prepared for another potential spike? 

There is justifiable fear that in being so close to the “finish line,” bringing so many into the Bethlehem bubble will only regress our community’s progress. A tangible step Lehigh can take is the continued advocacy for vaccinations. 

Putting an end to COVID-19 and re-establishing normalcy on this campus is within reach. The opportunity for campus immunity is there, and we hope that Lehigh uses its influence for good by providing and requiring vaccines for its students and faculty.