As health leaders continue to urge people to get a COVID-19 booster shot, hundreds of students and staff at Stanford University are pushing back against the institution's mandate.
As of Wednesday morning, more than 1,700 in the Stanford community have signed a petition to repeal the university's impending booster mandate for all students.
The university set a Jan. 31 deadline for when students must show proof they have received a booster.
Petition organizer, Stanford student Monte Fischer, says signees oppose the mandate for "failing to consider the strong immunity to COVID-19 that the over 95% fully vaccinated Stanford student body already has." The petition also says the mandate "ignores the known risk of heart inflammation from the authorized COVID-19 vaccines."
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The petition asks the university to treat students like adults.
Fischer says the petition was presented to university leadership Tuesday and so far has not garnered a response.
Stanford responded to NBC Bay Area on Wednesday with a statement: "Our booster requirement, for students who are eligible, is intended to support sustained immunity against COVID-19 and is consistent with the advice of county and federal public health leaders."
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It's not clear what Stanford plans to do with students unable to show proof of a booster by the end of the month nor whether the university plans to apply the mandate to staff.
