Overwhelmingly Vaccinated Cornell University Shuts Down Campus as COVID-19 Cases Spike

Overwhelmingly Vaccinated Cornell University Shuts Down Campus as COVID-19 Cases Spike

Just a few days before the end of the semester, Cornell University is shutting down its campus and moving final exams online because of a recent surge in COVID-19 cases among its overwhelmingly vaccinated student population.

In a message released Tuesday, Cornell President Martha E. Pollack told the campus community that the university’s surveillance testing “has continued to identify the rapid spread of COVID-19” among students.

According to the Ivy League school’s website, 97 percent of the overall population on the Ithaca, New York campus has been fully vaccinated. That includes 100 percent of professional faculty, 93 percent of other employees, and 99 percent of undergraduate students. As of Dec. 12, there are 469 active student cases, including 214 newly confirmed positives.