Proportion who have had at least one dose up by five percentage points since April
Around a third of students in England have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Data released by the ONS on 17 June revealed that 33 per cent of students had received a jab by 2 June, up from 28 per cent in April.
There have been concerns that if students return to campuses in September before they are fully vaccinated, it could result in Covid-19 outbreaks similar to those seen at the start of this academic year.
Before the data were published, former shadow universities minister Emma Hardy questioned whether students would have their second dose of the vaccine before the start of term. “Surely the government doesn’t want to repeat the chaos of last year and so will ensure that all students have been vaccinated before they return [to or] start university,” she wrote on social media, arguing that they “need to be having their first jab now” to be completely protected by the autumn.
On 15 June, the NHS confirmed that by the end of this week, all adults aged 18 and over would be allowed to book their first vaccination. However, there is roughly a 12-week gap between people receiving the first and second dose, which could overlap with the start of term.
Student wellbeing
Meanwhile, the ONS survey found that the majority of students (55 per cent) said they were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their social experience this academic year. Those who were very dissatisfied made up the largest proportion of responses, at 29 per cent, and just 5 per cent said they were very satisfied.
A higher proportion of students said they were very dissatisfied with their academic experience in the last academic year (12 per cent) than those who were very satisfied (10 per cent), with the total proportion of those dissatisfied or very dissatisfied at 36 per cent.
Almost a third (29 per cent) said that they had accessed mental health and wellbeing services since the start of the autumn term, with 40 per cent using their universities’ online services and 47 per cent going through their GP or primary care.
Tim Gibbs, head of the ONS’s Student Covid-19 Insights Survey, said the data showed that the pandemic was having “a significant impact on student life”, citing the proportion of students who had accessed support services since the start of the academic year.
“As we come to the end of the academic year, it’s clear students have faced significant struggles throughout the pandemic and, like the rest of us, are hoping for some normality over summer before universities and colleges start again in September,” he said.
A total of 100,000 students were contacted online for the survey, with a response rate of 1.1 per cent.