A small private college in Owensboro set July 1 as the date for all faculty and staff to have received the COVID-19 vaccine.
Now, the school is easing its stance a bit for those who are not yet vaccinated.
Kentucky Wesleyan College said it’s requiring the coronavirus vaccination so it can offer a safe, residential experience for students, keep faculty and staff safe, and serve as an example for Owensboro community.
President Tom Mitzel said there’s been a good response to the required vaccination.
“Right now, we have about 90% of the faculty and staff who are fully vaccinated," said Mitzel. "The rest of that percent are those who are requesting either a medical or religious exemption, or got their shots late and are not fully vaccinated.” Mitzel said the college will work with faculty and staff who need more time to complete the required doses.
“To date, we’ve not let anybody go because of vaccinations, and my hope is that we don’t. With the medical, with the religious exemptions, I think that we have put out a fairly nice message to the community," said Mitzel. "And there were people who just waited. So they got their first shot in late, they’re not going to make the deadline that we put in originally, and we’re going to be flexible.”
Faculty and staff who have an exemption, or are not vaccinated for any reason, will be expected to wear a mask and follow other CDC safety guidelines.
Mitzel said he got COVID in February, shortly before he was eligible to get the vaccine, and mostly suffered severe fatigue for about a week. He’s since been vaccinated.
Kentucky Wesleyan College has 845 students and 165 employees.
The college is recommending that students be vaccinated, but it’s not required.
