Stanford University is pressing on with its requirement for all eligible students without a religious or medical exemption to receive a COVID-19 booster, while a Ph. D. student's petition calling for its repeal has amassed more than 2,200 signatures.
A university spokesperson told KCBS Radio in an emailed statement on Friday that the school's policy, set to go into effect on Monday, is "unchanged." The spokesperson said students will need to provide proof of their booster shot in order to register for the spring quarter, which begins in March, unless they're not yet eligible for the additional dose or have an exemption on religious or medical grounds.
"Federal, state and county health officials advise that boosters are critical to support sustained immunity against COVID-19," Senior Director of Media Relations E.J. Miranda said in a statement to KCBS Radio. "Boosters enhance immunity against COVID-19, provide additional protection and reduce the possibility of hospitalization for COVID. A high level of immunity within our student community will allow us to continue in-person educational activities and help avoid widespread disruption of campus activities and student life, especially in our students’ congregate living settings."
A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study published on Friday showed an additional vaccine dose was 82% effective in preventing omicron variant-caused urgent care visits and 90% in preventing hospitalizations. Another study published last week in JAMA showed the odds of developing a symptomatic infection were 66% lower for boosted people compared to those who had received two doses.
First-year Ph. D. student Monte Fischer’s petition called the booster mandate “unethical and coercive,” claiming that boosters will do little to limit the highly infectious omicron variant’s spread amid the already highly vaccinated student body.
The petition had 2,255 signatures as of press time, although it’s unclear how many of the signers are Stanford students, alumni, parents or staff. As of last fall, 16,937 students were enrolled in the university.
In an op-ed for the Stanford Daily, Fischer wrote "Stanford is paternalistically making our own medical choices for us." Fischer pointed to Israeli data showing an elevated risk of myocarditis for vaccinated men aged 16-29 as one of a few reasons Stanford should have exercised caution.
"We are in a situation with preliminary data and uncertainty about long-term outcomes," Fischer wrote. "This should have prompted caution and humility from University leadership. Instead, we got a mandate."
The Israeli data showed 10.69 cases per 100,000 patients in that age group. A CDC study from March 2020 through last January, when vaccines weren’t readily available for most age groups, showed 150 cases of myocarditis per 100,000 COVID-19 patients of all ages.
Miranda said the university would provide extensions for students who are not yet eligible for a booster, which they can receive five months after their second shot in a two-dose vaccine series.
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