Kansas State University says the number of students, faculty and staff who have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose has reached 72 percent.
The report from Lafene Health Center officials exceeds the 70 percent goal of the nationwide COVID-19 Vaccine Challenge, a joint initiative from the White House and the U.S. Department of Education to challenge some 700 colleges and universities to reach the threshold by the fall.
In a news release Wednesday, Lafene Medical Director Kyle Goerl called the milestone “a step in the right direction toward ending the COVID-19 pandemic.” He projects that 72 percent rate could in fact be higher as some may not be included in the state tracking system.
More than 16,100 K-State students, faculty and staff out of a total population of about 22,300 have received the COVID-19 vaccine based on estimated from vaccine specific information provided by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
The university is continuing to strongly encourage all students, faculty and staff who can receive the COVID-19 vaccine to do so before arriving on a K-State campus. They also encourage all students, faculty and staff to voluntarily upload their COVID-19 vaccine cards to the myLafene+ patient portal.
