SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that New York State residents 30 years and older can start signing up for the COVID-19 vaccine, and beginning on April 6, people as young as 16 can register to get the vaccine.
This news comes amid the Syracuse University campus experiencing a spike in COVID-19 cases. Prithvi Kilaru, a manager of on-campus COVID-19 testing at the Carrier Dome, said that this spike of cases “could be due to a multitude of things – the weather is getting really nice outside, there’s probably a little bit of pandemic fatigue for people because it’s been over a year since this is started, and with the introduction of the vaccine, I just think people are letting their guards down.”
However, Kilaru is not sure if opening up to the vaccine guidelines will stop the spread of COVID-19 on-campus.
“Students are probably getting their first vaccination, letting their guard down a little bit, or they’re getting their second one and immediately think they can let their guard down,” Kilaru said. “In reality, across the board, I would feel like no one should let their guard down until everybody around them has been vaccinated.”
The opening up of vaccine guidelines came weeks after Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon requested that vaccine eligibility be loosened within the county, and last week McMahon said that if vaccine guidelines were relaxed, he would use most of the roughly 8,000 does available to vaccinate college kids who live in dorms.
While the mass vaccination of students will not start until next Tuesday, Kilaru is staying optimistic about the new guidelines, but he is still encouraging students to remain vigilant to stop the spread.
