The Sept. 1 deadline has arrived for Queen’s University students to receive their first COVID-19 vaccination.
From here on out, anyone who wishes to access the school’s campus must have proof of vaccination after the school made a vaccine mandate in August.
In response, a group of Queen’s students started an online petition against the mandate.
“I don’t think they really have much justification for this mandate,” says the petition’s organizer, who wished to remain anonymous.
“I do think we’re kind of taking away people’s right to make their own medical decisions, and I think each person should retain their own ability to make those decisions.”
After posting the petition online, the movement was met with both support and backlash.
The petition currently has over 2,000 signatures, but it was also the subject of harmful comments from some people.
“We’re getting comments, saying, ‘We hope your people get COVID and die’ — that’s a very common one,” says the petitioner.
“Another one was basically calling for genocide, just saying, ‘I just hope that all unvaccinated people are killed off’.”
According to a recent survey, Queen’s currently has a 98-per cent vaccination rate in the student body.
University staff are standing by the vaccine mandate, saying it can be effective and is necessary to have a more normal school year.
“There’s no question that vaccine mandates work despite a lot of vocal criticism from some sectors,” says Dr. Gerald Evans, the university’s infectious disease expert.
Evans noted that other areas are following suit with similar vaccine requirements.
“In France, one of the few European countries to bring in a vaccine passport, basically said if you’re not getting vaccines, you’re not going to get into certain things,” he says.
“So in a way, sort of mandating that if you wanted to participate in activities, you would need to be fully vaccinated.”
Unvaccinated people, without an approved accommodation, will not be able to attend campus or participate in any university activity in person.