A new proposal aims to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for college students across the state.

The bill would make the COVID-19 vaccine the second shot mandated for college students to attend class in-person in New York.

State law currently requires these students to be vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella.

The proposal comes as vaccination rates have slowed both in New York and nationwide.

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The bill would make the COVID-19 vaccine the second shot mandated for college students to attend class in-person in New York.

While college students are less likely to get sick or hospitalized from the virus, they have been shown to spread it.

Counties with colleges and universities open for in-person learning last fall saw a nearly 60% rise in COVID-19 cases within three weeks of the start of classes, according to a CDC study.

Several local schools, including Manhattanville, Pace and Sarah Lawrence are requiring the vaccine to return to in-person learning in the fall. SUNY schools have not made a decision, but Chancellor Jim Malatras has not ruled it out.