Covid: USP abandons proof of vaccine requirement – 02/16/2023 – Educação

The USP (University of São Paulo) announced this Thursday (16) that it will abandon the requirement for proof of the vaccine against Covid among students and employees. The change occurs after Governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans) sanctioned the law that vetoes the collection of the document.

In addition to USP, Unicamp withdrew from the requirement. São Paulo state universities were the institutions with the strictest protocols and rules to protect their academic communities from Covid.

“The rectory understands that the vaccine requirement, adopted during the pandemic, allowed promoting solidarity care and protecting our community, minimizing the severity and lethality of cases”, says USP in a note.

According to the university, more than 99% of the academic community has their vaccinations against Covid-19 up to date, as well as freshmen approved by Fuvest. “Of a total of approximately 8,200 students approved in the entrance exam, only 34 are not fully immunized. This high vaccination rate makes us believe that the decision will not have negative consequences for the course of the pandemic at USP”, he says.

USP and Unicamp even canceled the enrollment and grades of students who refused to present proof of the vaccine. In October last year, USP withdrew the grades and attendance records of 275 students from the system.

Tarcísio’s decision was published in the state’s Official Gazette this Wednesday (15). The bill is authored by a group of Bolsonarist deputies, such as Janaína Paschoal (PRTB), Altair Moraes (Republicans), Carlos Cezar (PL), Castello Branco (PL) and Coronel Nishikawa (PL).

From now on, no one can be prevented from accessing any place or service for not presenting proof of vaccination. The text, however, does not provide for punishment for establishments that fail to comply with the measure.

Under the new law, the exceptions in which the requirement fits are limited to health professionals, as they have contact with immunosuppressed people, workers in institutions for the elderly and professionals in contact with children with chronic diseases and pregnant women —considering that these people are more likely to develop severe forms of Covid-19.