Higher education sector joint statement on student vaccination

28 July 2021

The UK’s higher education providers recognise the critical importance of the national vaccination programme to overcoming the Covid-19 pandemic. We saw first-hand the impact national lockdowns and Covid restrictions had on students’ lives over the past 16 months, and we want to get back to a more normal life and higher education experience.

Universities and other higher education providers continue to engage, explain and encourage new and existing students to take up the opportunity to get fully vaccinated as soon as possible. This includes amplifying and supporting the strong messages from government on how students can access a vaccination, whether they are in their term-time address or elsewhere, and working with public health locally to offer facilities as pop-up vaccination sites over the summer and leading into the new academic year.

Young people have made tremendous sacrifices during the pandemic and evidence suggests that vaccine intent remains high among higher education students. We remain confident that the overwhelming majority of students in higher education will take up the opportunity to be vaccinated and we will continue to take every opportunity to encourage that they do so.

Signed,
 

Professor Julia Buckingham CBE, President, Universities UK
Professor Debra Humphris, Chair, University Alliance
Professor Julie Lydon OBE, Chair, Universities Wales
Professor Sally Mapstone, Vice-Convener, Universities Scotland
Anthony McClaran, Chair, GuildHE
Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, Chair, Russell Group
Dr Roxanne Stockwell, Chair, Independent HE
Professor Rama Thirunamachandran, Chair, MillionPlus – The Association for Modern Universities

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