Several Western University students have spoken to the student advocacy group Students4Agency about the return of the vaccine mandate and why it can’t be reimplemented.

From underlying medical conditions to outright coercion and the ineffectual nature of mandates in stopping the spread, there are more than enough reasons that WesternU should not bring back its mandate. And students know this.

Speaking with Students4Agency, one student said, “I was 24 hours away from being unenrolled last year due to my vaccination status. So, I got vaccinated not because I wanted to or thought I needed to but to continue my education. I was coerced into the vaccine.”

Of course, the fact that this student and many others were coerced into taking two doses of the COVID vaccine doesn’t matter to Western University, as they’ve just mandated a booster shot along with the first two jabs. It’s not enough that you’ve submitted once. Active compliance is required for attendance.

Another student (now a former student) explains that they’re immunocompromised, and doctors recommended against taking the vaccine. However, they could not get an exemption, and the university didn’t care. As a result, they can no longer attend Western University for refusing to take an experimental mRNA shot with undue risks and a history of causing severe adverse reactions.

“I’m immunocompromised. This may be shocking to some, but multiple doctors recommended I not get vaccinated. They had genuine concerns about how it would interact with my ongoing treatment,” the student explains. “Last year, I was denied a medical exemption. My condition not only creates countless barriers for me every day, but it has prevented me from attending university.”

Besides the tragic situations that Western University has put its students through, there also doesn’t appear to be any justification for reinstituting its vaccine mandate.

Ontario Chief Medical Officer Kieran Moore recently stated that he’s not willing to outright recommend that people, particularly young people, should get a booster shot due to the risk of adverse reactions such as myocarditis.

He further stated that any decision to get a vaccine booster should come after a period of risk assessment so that people can determine whether they’re more at risk from COVID or possible adverse reactions that may occur following a COVID vaccination. For some, the risk of an adverse reaction outweighs the risk they have from COVID, and it’s unconscionable that an educational institution would potentially endanger its students.

“If you’ve had your first two doses and your first booster, we would not – you may get your second booster dose, but it’s not a ‘should,'” said Moore.

“… There’s always a risk to having any therapeutic versus a benefit. You want to make sure there’s a very strong benefit versus the risk. If you’re an 18-year-old healthy individual, the risk of getting hospitalized if you have no underlying medical illness is very, very low. We know there is a risk, a very small risk, 1 in 5000 that may get myocarditis, for example, and you’d have to have that discussion on the risk-benefit of a complication from the vaccine versus the benefit of vaccination – for a young, healthy person.”

If statements from Ontario’s top doctor weren’t enough, Fanshawe College (also located in London, Ontario) has stated that they will not be bringing back the vaccine mandate due to regional health officials telling the college that it’s unnecessary.

If we look abroad, the CDC recently admitted that vaccination status is no longer relevant as breakthrough infections happen all the time, and those who’ve been infected have a degree of protection from the virus (i.e., natural immunity).

“CDC’s COVID-19 prevention recommendations no longer differentiate based on a person’s vaccination status because breakthrough infections occur, though they are generally mild, and persons who have had COVID-19 but are not vaccinated have some degree of protection against severe illness from their previous infection,” an update reads.

Are there any health officials supporting Western University’s decision, and is there any science left to back them up or are health experts no longer worth listening to?

And it’s not just the vaccine mandate, though: all mandates need to go, including the mask mandate that WesternU is bringing back on September 1.

As one student speaking with Students4Agency notes, the mask mandate has dramatically impeded the learning experience of the hearing impaired, and some have chosen to give up on their education as a result.

“I have been deeply [affected] by the use of masks as I am hearing impaired,” the student explained. “It prevents me from learning to my full capability as I am not able to interpret information, as I am unable to hear it nor see it. I heavily rely on lip reading, and the removal of the mask mandate was the sole purpose to why I am going this year.”

No student should have to go through this or make this decision — especially considering just over two weeks ago, the Ontario Ministry of Education announced that masks are no longer necessary in schools. But, again, Western University is ignoring public health experts.

It’s time that Western University accepts that the days of mandates are over and let students make their own choices regarding their bodies. Public health officials aren’t on their side, and there appears to be no justification for the return of the vaccine and mask mandates.