COVID-19 vaccination rates for Penn State students and employees at University Park substantially exceed those for the general Centre County and statewide populations, according to data released by the university on Monday night.
More than 86% of students living on campus at University Park and 78% of off-campus students have provided proof of vaccination to Penn State, for an overall rate of 80%. More are continuing to provide proof of vaccination each day, so the rate is likely higher, according to a university news release.
Among full-time employees, 83% are fully vaccinated. That includes 98% of administrators, 91% of academic personnel and 79% of nonunion staff.
Throughout Centre County, 59.6% of the total population and 66.5% of those 18 and older are fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Statewide, 65.8% of the adult population is fully vaccinated
“I’m grateful to all of our students, faculty and staff who have already been vaccinated and shared their status with the University and all of those who are doing the right things to help slow transmission,” Penn State President Eric Barron said in a statement. “We believe our multi-pronged approach of incentivizing vaccines, indoor masking and testing plan will continue to be, an effective strategy at mitigating this virus.”
Penn State has steadfastly resisted numerous calls to join nine Big Ten universities and more than 800 colleges nationwide in requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for students and employees. Instead, the university had focused its efforts on incentives and mandatory testing for those who are unvaccinated.
Students and employees who do not provide proof of vaccination are required to undergo weekly testing for COVID-19. Students who fail to comply face sanctions ranging from student conduct referrals and bans from campus events up to suspension from the university. Employees who don’t follow testing requirements can be sent home and be required to take vacation time or unpaid leave until the test is completed. Repeated failure to comply can result in termination.
Between Aug. 16, when student move-in began, and Monday, Penn State testing has yielded 90 positive cases — 81 among students and nine among employees — with a positivity rate of less than 1%.
