Chancellor Malatras Statement on Vaccines for SUNY Students Following CDC Guidance
April 13, 2021
"SUNY is following the recommendation of the Federal Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the New York State Department of Health to immediately pause, out of an abundance of caution, administering the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine. We are working with New York State to locate and receive alternative COVID-19 vaccines for our students. We urge all students with appointments for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to contact their campus or vaccination site because alternatives have already been found in some instances.
Our priority will always be the health and safety of our students. We encourage any student who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and is experiencing any health effects such as headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination to contact their campus or health provider.
While we must not slow down the process of protecting our students from the COVID virus, must also do all we can to ensure their safety and health every step of the way. We will keep our campus communities informed as more information becomes available."
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2022, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
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Holly Liapis
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