Nearly all residential students on track to get fully vaxxed

As COVID-19 restrictions ease gradually in the ACT, our students living on campus have been getting their jabs at an impressive pace.

Professor Tracy Smart AO, Public Health Lead - ANU COVID Response, says the first-dose vaccination rate for students living in our residences is about 95 per cent, and more than half of them are fully vaccinated, according to an ongoing survey. Another four per cent of residential students have booked in an appointment for their first jab.

"I am really pleased at the way our students have been proactive in getting out and getting their jabs as soon as they became eligible," Tracy says.

"Their first-dose vaccinate rate is higher than the average rate for their age groups. They understand that residential living is by its nature a high-risk setting and the more of them that get vaccinated, the safer it becomes.

"Once the ACT and our residences reach 80 per cent fully vaccinated, most of the restrictions that residents have been living under during the past couple of months will be removed.

This doesn't mean we can forget about being COVID-safe, Tracy says.

"Wearing masks will continue to be required at all times as there will still be students who are not yet fully vaccinated," she says.

Director of Residential Experience at ANU, Susan Helyar, says students living in on-campus accommodation have had their lifestyles restricted in so many ways "big and small" during the recent ACT lockdown.

"I know the restrictions on movements and activities have been difficult for our students and staff," Susan says.

"The huge number of students who have been vaccinated shows the widespread commitment of students to rebuilding the communal lifestyle that makes on-campus living such a valuable part of the ANU experience."