NY public colleges aim to require vaccine in Sept.

New York will require students of the state's and New York City's public university and college systems to get vaccinated to attend in-person classes this fall, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a Monday press conference in New York City.

The move is aimed at offsetting the slowing number of COVID-19 vaccinations in the state.

"If you must have a vaccine, get it now," Cuomo said. "If you have to get it anyway."

So far, 39.4% _ or 7.7 million _ of New York residents are fully vaccinated, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

But state data shows the number of residents getting vaccinated each day is dropping in line with national trends, with lower rates among young people. Nearly three-fourths of people between 65 and 74 years old are fully vaccinated, according to Cuomo, compared with one-fourth of people between the ages of 16 and 25.

Cuomo said the state can't mandate vaccines until they get full approval from the federal government. If that happens,

Cuomo's office didn't immediately respond to question Monday about whether faculty and staff will have to get vaccinated too. The state's public university system has nearly 400,000 students enrolled, while the City University of New York has roughly 270,000 students.