As international students prepare totravel abroad for higher studies, many universities are trying to bring in all of their students on-campus. One such university is the University of British Columbia in Canada.
For the Fall 2021 session, the University of British Columbia has announced its preparedness to house international students who have received unapproved vaccinations.
As per the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship regulations, international students will be considered fully vaccinated if they have received any one of the vaccinations approved by Canada, at least 14 days before entering the country.
Canada has approved fiveCOVID-19 vaccines, including Pfizer, Moderna, Astra-Zeneca/COVISHIELD and Johnson & Johnson. Students who have received COVID-19 vaccines developed by other biopharmaceutical companies like Bharat Biotech from India and Sinovac from Beijing will be mandated to quarantine for 2 weeks or 14 days since these vaccinations have not been approved by Canada. The Canadian government currently does not accept over 5 vaccines for COVID-19 developed by countries such as Russia, China and India, etc.
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The Director of the University of British Columbia, Matthew Ramsey, commented that with the help of the hotels and single residences reserved for the purpose, the high demand should be manageable.
Sources have revealed that the university has been able to temporarily assign 160 units on campus for the purpose of self-isolation. Additionally, a UBC Quarantine Bursary designed to help students cover the costs of quarantining will also be provided.
Moreover, UBC has partnered with local hotels in a bid to offer rooms for quarantine to students, with the cost of the room borne by the students themselves. In his statements, Ramsey added that the staff will be responsible for bringing them meals, medications and other necessities required by the students.
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Ramsey further outlined the diversity in populations, UBC is one of the top higher education institutions in Canada with the most diverse populations of international students. Among the top sources of international students are those travelling from India and China.
Further, Ramsey also added that UBC is also working with the authorities to help students access vaccines more easily. He has urged international students travelling to BC without being vaccinated to register for the vaccine to receive the vaccination as soon as they arrive at BC.
Source:https://vancouversun.com/
