An Ontario university’s decision to require COVID-19 booster doses and masks in classrooms has drawn mixed reactions, including concerns about potential disruptions for students and the tight timeline in which it was announced.
Western University said Monday that students and staff returning to campus in the next two weeks must get at least three shots for COVID-19 and wear masks in classrooms.
Ethan Gardner, president of the London university’s student council, said the quick timetable for the policy change – which came into effect on Monday – is the most common concern he has heard from students so far.
“The timing is definitely a piece that we hear a lot about,” he said by phone from London on Tuesday, noting that the policy change has come as students prepare to move for the school year or are in the middle of it.
“Maybe if the information was delivered a little earlier, it might have been easier.”
Ontario universities are taking a variety of approaches to mandate COVID-19 vaccines on campus this September.  Some do not require vaccinations and instead recommend that students follow up on their vaccinations and wear masks.  Others have yet to explain their policies for the fall, with little time left until the start of the school year.
Western’s mandate goes a step further than the University of Toronto’s, which requires those living in residence to get a booster shot and recommends everyone else keep their vaccinations up to date.
Gardner said his student council at Western is still gathering feedback and will reach out to the university for a meeting once it has a more complete picture of student concerns.  Gardner also noted that some are taking the news positively.
“There are definitely people on both sides,” he said.
Third-year music student Zach Ferns, 20, said he appreciates the security efforts Western has made throughout the pandemic to protect personal experiences on campus.
Ferns has received three shots for COVID-19 and plans to get a fourth dose and wear a mask in class.  But he said he understands why some of his peers are frustrated by the strict policies on boosters and masks, given that such mandates have been lifted in other settings.
Ontario lifted proof-of-vaccination rules in public places months ago, as have most other jurisdictions in Canada and around the world.  Mandatory mask rules have also been largely lifted.
“Personally, I’m trying to be cautious about COVID, but I’m also a little sympathetic to some of the backlash this decision has gotten,” he said.
Infectious disease expert Dr. Zane Chagla said that while vaccines are effective and help prevent serious outcomes, the purpose of a three-dose policy in a university setting like Western, or mandating masks in classrooms, is unclear because him.
“The whole thing is a bit weird,” he said.
Chagla, who works at St.  Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, said the risk of serious illness is relatively low among the young adults who make up Western’s student body, and the policy does not take into account the recent Omicron infections.
Third dose uptake in the 18-29 age group is currently about 39 per cent in Ontario, lower than any other adult age group.  By comparison, about 85 percent in this cohort of young adults have had two doses of the vaccine.
Chagla said Western’s policy does not take into account the fact that many people received third doses more than six months ago and may be immunocompromised, he added, noting that the policy may not do much to prevent the transmission of COVID -19.
He also highlighted the “downstream effects” of the policy which excludes students from marginalized communities where booster uptake is lower.
Marie Dolcetti-Koros, president of the Canadian Federation of Students, made a similar point.
“It is important for governments and institutions to recognize how a mandate will create barriers for international students and other people who may not be vaccinated with Health Canada-approved vaccines or may be vaccinated for their own reasons,” he said in an email.
Dolcetti-Koros said her organization supports promoting vaccines for students and supports creating accommodations for people who don’t feel comfortable returning to campus.  It also calls for clearer guidelines from officials as pandemic-era training continues.
“Students are calling for greater leadership from the government to provide clarity on public health precautions that ensure all students have access to high-quality post-secondary education whether they study in-person or remotely,” he said.
Chagla said improving indoor ventilation, promoting vaccination and vaccine education, and supporting people to stay home while sick remain effective mitigation strategies for universities and other settings.
“These are easy things that we should probably be doing anyway,” he said.  “I think that’s probably what we should be focusing on, rather than orders and exclusions.”
Vaccine mandates have been a contentious political issue in Canada.  The vaccination requirement for cross-border truck drivers was the catalyst for a week-long sit-in in the nation’s capital this winter, where people vented their anger with the government over various pandemic measures.
Some politicians were quick to draw attention to Western’s vaccine policy.  Federal Conservative leadership candidates Leslyn Lewis, Roman Baber and Pierre Poilievre all took to social media to criticize the university for its decision.
Chagla said the politicization of vaccines is a problem because vaccines for COVID-19, and other vaccines, will likely continue to be necessary, and uptake becomes a challenge when the issue is so inflammatory.
“The more we push people, the more they’re not going to come back for the next dose,” he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 23, 2022.