The University of Rochester says it will now require a COVID-19 booster shot for all students who will be attending the spring semester.
A memo went out on Thursday signed by UR President Sarah Manglesdorf and Interim Provost Sarah Peyre.
It noted that UR officials are aware that infection rates in Rochester and around the country, especially with the rapid emergency of Omicron, could worsen before the start of the semester. And the memo also referred to the CDC having said that COVID-19 boosters help broaden and strengthen the protection against Omicron and other variants.
The memo does not mandate booster shots for faculty and staff, and Manglesdorf and Peyre said that even though the boosters are not required for the staff at this time, they strongly encourage everyone in the university community to get a booster shot when they are eligible to do so.
All residential (on-campus) students will be required to show a negative COVID-19 test when returning to campus.
At the Rochester Institute of Technology, a memo released by RIT President David Munson on Thursday said that the university is asking everyone to get a booster shot when eligible but the memo also said that currently, the CDC defines “fully vaccinated” as having completed two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna coronavirus vaccines or a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Munson said that should the CDC modify its definition of “fully vaccinated” to include boosters, RIT expects to revise the university's vaccine mandate accordingly.
RIT is also encouraging all students, faculty and staff, regarding of immunization status, to get a COVID-19 test before returning to campus after the winter break.
