68% of UTEP student-athletes fully vaccinated; football team at 61% vaccination rate

EL PASO, Texas - Per public records obtained by ABC-7, 68% of all UTEP student-athletes had been fully vaccinated as of Friday.

Per the same data, 61% of members of the UTEP football team have been fully vaccinated.

At a press conference last week, UTEP Athletic Director Jim Senter encouraged those who haven't been vaccinated to do so.

"All the data shows that folks who are vaccinated have a much less likelihood that they will contract the virus," said Senter in reference to COVID-19 and the Delta Variant. "And or if they do, they will probably have minimized effects if they've been vaccinated."

"That's our message to our student-athletes," concluded Senter on his urge to get vaccinated.

As of Aug. 13, 190 of the total 279 UTEP student-athletes had been fully vaccinated.

At last week's press conference, Senter did add that he would ideally like to see between 70-90 percent of student athletes fully vaccinated.

"I would prefer that we have at least herd immunity," said Senter, referencing a vaccination rate high enough where a large portion of the community immune to the coronavirus.

"If you ask people 'What's the percentage for herd immunity?' well that even fluctuates a little bit. 70, 75, 80, 85 percent, 90," he explained. "I think some of that herd immunity maybe dictated by the type of sport that you play."

UTEP is giving its' student-athletes the option to get vaccinated. In addition, UTEP's vaccination program is open to not only students, staff, and faculty but also at-risk populations in the El Paso community.

Among the football program, 73 of the 120 members of UTEP's football team had been fully vaccinated. UTEP's football team opens their season on Sat., Aug. 28 at New Mexico State.