Fort Lewis College requires COVID-19 vaccine for fall term

DURANGO, Colo. (KRDO) -- A Colorado college is one of the first in the nation to require a COVID-19 vaccination for students returning in the fall.

Fort Lewis College in Durango announced vaccines will be required for the fall term.

In a letter to the FLC community, college president Tom Stritikus says mandating the COVID vaccine isn't all that different from mandating other vaccines that students are already required to have.

Many of our students are already vaccinated. We are an institution with a large population of Native students and other students of color, and we know COVID had a disproportionate impact on those communities—requiring the vaccine protects not only our campus, but the communities our students come from. As you know, we already require students to have their MMR vaccines and encourage vaccination against meningitis as well, and the COVID-19 vaccine requirement is in alignment with those directives. By keeping everyone healthy, we can keep everyone safe as we return to some semblance of normalcy.

Tom Stritikus
President
Fort Lewis College

Fort Lewis will offer exceptions for religious beliefs or medical concerns.

At the University of Denver, school leaders are planning campus vaccination clinics. They hope that 90% of students, faculty, and staff members will choose to take the vaccine.

To read the full statement, click here.