COVID-19 vaccination rates among Nevada System of Higher Education employees has been on the rise, jumping to a total 75% vaccinated of nearly 24,000 employees as of Sept. 17.
This comes just days after the Board of Regents voted to authorize plans for a vaccination mandate applicable to all higher education employees, up for vote at the board’s next meeting, according to the Nevada Independent.
“I am extremely proud of everyone who has chosen to get vaccinated. This effort will go a long way in making our campuses safe for our students and colleagues,” Chancellor Melody Rose said in a release from Nevada System of Higher Education.
This marks a 35% increase since the when rates were first reported, according to the Pahrump Valley Times. Rates among all employees, including academic and administrative faculty, classified staff, graduate assistants, student workers and others, saw a rise in numbers from 56.1% the previous week to now, 75.6%, the release said.
With 18,000 employees now vaccinated against the virus, six of the educational system’s eight total campuses reported vaccination rates of at least 70%. Vaccination rates for all of the system’s higher education employees will be updated weekly on the organization’s website, the Pahrump Valley Times reported.
The Board of Regents will vote to officially expand their vaccination mandate to include all employees, including those working remotely, at their Sept. 30 meeting. According to the Nevada Independent, this will pave the way for the chancellor to develop more specific guidelines to be implemented by Dec. 1.
