Since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted full approval this week for the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people 16 years of age and older, students at the State University of New York at Fredonia and Jamestown Community College will officially be required to get the vaccine.

In an email to students, Stephen Kolison Jr., college president and professor, noted that the SUNY-mandated directive for students to be vaccinated is now in place for all campuses, including Fredonia. “Hence, pursuant to SUNY policy, every student has up to 35 days to provide proof of vaccination or submit a request for a medical or religious exemption for campus review,” he said.

Added Kirk Young, JCC’s vice president of student affairs, “As has been the case from the very start, we are confident our students will continue to do the right thing to protect themselves, their families, and their campus community. We welcome the FDA approval and are now yet another step closer to beating this virus and ensuring our campuses provide a safe learning environment for all our students.”

Kolison stated that at this point, SUNY is not mandating that faculty and staff be vaccinated due to labor rules. “However, we strongly encourage all employees to get vaccinated soon in light of the continuing health threat posed by COVID-19 and its variants. I am thankful to union leadership on campus for encouraging vaccination for its members,” he added.

SUNY Fredonia hosted a vaccination clinic Wednesday to assist unvaccinated students, faculty and staff obtain a COVID-19 vaccination.

The college previously announced that facial coverings will be required for everyone, regardless of vaccination status, in all indoor spaces. The only exceptions are in personal living spaces, individual workspaces, and during indoor eating and drinking. This requirement pertains to students, faculty, staff, and all visitors to campus. The college plans on reevaluating this requirement by Sept. 16.

Due to the continued spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant, JCC also previously announced that face masks would be required in all campus buildings regardless of vaccination status. Unvaccinated students who have received a medical or religious exemption will also have to participate in weekly pool testing and continue to practice social distancing.

ACTIVE CASES, HOSPITALIZATIONS UP

Active cases of COVID-19, people with the virus in the hospital and those in quarantine all increased in numbers released Wednesday by the Chautauqua County Department of Health. The county recorded 19 new cases of the virus, as well.

There are currently 199 actives cases in the county, an increase of 12 from statistics released Tuesday; nine people with the virus in the hospital, a bump of two; and 316 in quarantine, an increase of 23.

The seven-day positivity rate rose to 7.2% — up from the 6.6% reported Tuesday.

To date there have been 9,762 confirmed cases locally, 9,403 recoveries and 160 virus-related deaths. Since Aug. 1, there have been 416 new cases.

The CDC level of community transmission for COVID-19 remains “high.”