Regents' president: No COVID-19 vaccination to be required at Iowa's three public universities

Students at Iowa's three public universities will not be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to attend classes next school year, the president of the Iowa Board of Regents said Wednesday.

Regents' President Michael Richards said "I strongly believe in the effectiveness of the vaccines. We will continue to make them available."

But vaccination will not be necessary now or in the 2021-22 school year for students or employees at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa, Richards said, adding: "We continue to strongly encourage members of our campus community to get vaccinated."

Richards thanked the governor, public health officials and the Regent universities for their efforts in making COVID-19 vaccinations available.

Gov. Kim Reynolds has taken a stance against requiring proof of vaccination for people to access activities or events — so-called vaccine passports.

More:Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds: 'I strongly oppose vaccine passports,' will take steps to limit their use

The idea of mandating proof of vaccination for travel or at entry points to venues has sparked a political divide, and Republican lawmakers and governors in several states are working on proposals to ban them. The White House has said the federal government will not roll out its own system requiring Americans to carry vaccine credentials.  

Iowa's state universities all require students to show proof of having two MMR vaccinations, which protect against measles, mumps and rubella, in order to enroll. Students may request medical or religious exemptions, however. On its website, the University of Iowa also specifically recommends vaccines against meningitis, hepatitis A and B, HPV and other viruses. 

Also Wednesday, Grinnell College announced that it will require students to be vaccinated before beginning in-person classes in 2021-22, according to the school newspaper, The Scarlet & Black. Students who can't get a vaccine at home will be provided one when they get to campus. Those with religious or medical concerns can ask for an exemption.

Colleges are working to vaccinate their students without Johnson & Johnson vaccine

Meanwhile, federal health officials recommended a pause this week on the use of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine as researchers studied the six cases of women developing blood clots six to 13 days after receiving the vaccine, out of more than 6.8 million doses of the vaccine given nationally.

Iowa's Johnson & Johnson allocation has been suspended for two weeks.

More:Canceled clinics, scrambled plans as Iowa pauses use of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine

"The immediate impact of this decision on our vaccine supply should be manageable," Reynolds said Wednesday.  

Speaking as a recipient herself of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Reynolds said she did not regret it, and that "Vaccination is the best defense against the virus, and as you've heard, the reward far outweighs the risk."

More:Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who received Johnson & Johnson shot last month, says 'I would do it again'

The news of the pause on the use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine did leave Iowa's public universities to figure out how to vaccinate as many students as possible before the end of the semester as they had planned.

UNI canceled a Tuesday Johnson & Johnson vaccine clinic that had 500 students signed up. The students could still register for a clinic later in the week that would use the Pfizer vaccine.

ISU spokesperson Mike Krapfl said Wednesday the current plan is that vaccination clinics using Pfizer and Moderna vaccines would start Thursday and extend to the end of the semester — "and possibly beyond" to accommodate second doses.

Krapfl did not immediately know what that might mean for the availability of student housing beyond the May 7 end date of the semester, or what it may mean for students taking final exams that week.

It's recommended that the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine be given three weeks after the first, and for Moderna, a month between the first and second doses.

Both vaccines may cause mild side effects, especially after the second dose, that may last for several days.

Iowa told its campus community Tuesday that all scheduled appointments for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine had been canceled. 

According to UI's statement: "We will continue to vaccinate students, faculty and staff with available supplies of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, but the number of vaccines we can give is dependent on the number of doses we receive from the state and county. If you can be vaccinated sooner at an approved location, such as a local pharmacy, we encourage you to do so."

Phillip Sitter covers education for the Ames Tribune, including Iowa State University and PreK-12 schools in Ames and elsewhere in Story County. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com. He is on Twitter @pslifeisabeauty.