Stanford Mandates COVID Testing Even For Vaccinated: Report

PALO ALTO, CA — Stanford University will require students to take weekly COVID-19 tests regardless of vaccination status amid the spread of the more contagious Delta variant, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

In an email to students, the university mandated that those who live or attend classes on campus get tested before the Aug. 15 return-to-campus date and continue to be tested weekly, the Chronicle reported.

Stanford is the first Bay Area college to institute testing rules for vaccinated individuals, joining other colleges nationwide like Princetown, Brown and Yale, according to the Chronicle. Stanford Vice Provost for Student Affairs Susie Brubaker-Cole said in an email to students that the university would “continually assess the measures and notify the community if changes are needed.”

Last month, the university reported seven breakthrough cases of students who were vaccinated.

Related: 7 Vaccinated Stanford Students Test Positive For COVID-19

The decision reverses an announcement last month that fully vaccinated students no longer had to be tested for COVID-19. As of May, 95 percent of the community had been vaccinated, according to Stanford’s COVID-19 dashboard.