New COVID-19 vaccines should not be mandatory

Schools and universities should recommend students, faculty members and staff get a coronavirus vaccine once it’s widely available, but it shouldn’t be required.
Campus community members can do their part to keep students, staff and faculty members safe by taking one of the expected COVID-19 vaccines. However, everyone has the right to make their own health decisions considering the vaccine’s rapid production process.
According to San Jose State’s Student Health Center, the California State University system requires incoming students to submit proof of immunization records before attending the first day of classes.
Students can appeal immunization requirements if their health records provide a viable reason, like a compromised immune system, according to the website.
Students can upload a signed and dated letter from their licensed health care provider citing medical conditions or circumstances that explain why an exemption is medically necessary.
A lot of people may be nervous about receiving a vaccine right after its release, which is also a valid health concern.
Of course, individuals who are able to get the COVID-19 vaccine should consider receiving it because those who don’t will be at high risk for catching the disease. 
Prohibiting students from campus because of this personal choice limits their access to education.
58% of Americans said they would get a COVID-19 vaccine, compared to 50% who said they would in September, according to a Nov. 17 Gallup poll, a global analytics firm. 
Infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci explained in a Nov. 19 White House Task Force briefing that a COVID-19 vaccine will be safe when it is ready for distribution and safety will not be compromised for speed.
“The process of the speed did not compromise at all safety nor did it compromise scientific integrity,” Fauci said. “It was a reflection of the extraordinary scientific advances in these types of vaccines which allow us to do things in months that took us years before.”
While a growing number of people are in favor of a vaccine and health officials including Fauci have ensured it is safe, there are still many people who are rightfully cynical of a vaccine developed under the Trump administration.
No vaccine has been officially approved from any pharmaceutical company by the Federal Drug Administration.
Despite Fauci’s statements, CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White announced in a systemwide email on Sept. 10 that most spring classes will be held online for multiple reasons, including a lack of sufficient testing and the lack of a vaccine.
“To summarize, the disease continues to spread,” White said. “While the current mitigation factors do make a difference, in the absence of a vaccine and of sufficient, cost-effective, timely testing and contact-tracing infrastructure, we are not able to return to a normal, principally in-person schedule in January 2021.”
Learning institutions should recommend students, faculty and staff take a COVID-19 vaccine in order to prevent the spread of the disease and get back on track to having in-person classes in the future. 
However, a vaccine shouldn’t be required for those who are concerned about the vaccine’s safety or are immunocompromised. 
Because a COVID-19 vaccine has not been released and has yet to earn the public’s full trust, both schools and universities should hesitate on a decision that would force students to lose agency over personal health   decisions. 
Instead, a COVID-19 vaccine should be added to the list of recommended immunizations on SJSU’s Student Health Center website, but students should not be kept from attending in-person classes if they decide not to get vaccinated.