Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,
With COVID-19 cases on the rise and a surge in the Omicron variant expected this winter, the Massachusetts state universities will be requiring faculty, staff and students to receive COVID-19 booster shots as part of our COVID-19 vaccine mandate, unless they have previously applied for and received a religious or medical exemption from the university.
We strongly encourage you to receive your booster shot as soon as you are eligible (details below). We ask that you receive the booster within a month of your eligibility. While the original vaccine is continuing to provide protections, the booster will provide additional protections especially as we face new variants and a new surge in cases.
Booster Eligibility
Booster eligibility is six months after receiving the last dose of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine; or two months after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Information on how to schedule a vaccine and booster can be found at vaxfinder.mass.gov. Please note that given the increase in demand some vaccination sites are scheduling two or three weeks out.
We also plan to host on-campus booster clinics in January and will share more details once they become available at salemstate.edu/covidvaccine.
Booster Documentation
Employees are required to upload their booster documentation to CoVerified by April 15, 2022. CoVerified Vaccination Upload Instructions can be found here.
Students are required to upload their booster documentation to their student health portal. Counseling and health services will review compliance as part of our typical immunization compliance practices.
Human resources will verify compliance with this requirement for employees by April 15, 2022. Counseling and health services will verify compliance for students by mid-February 2022.
Thanks for you for everything you have done and continue to do to reduce the risk of spread in our community. We are grateful for our ability to be on campus together this year and will continue to update our health and safety protocols to meet the latest public health guidance.
We hope that you enjoy a healthy holiday season.
Sincerely,
Mark R. Quigley, Esq.
Assistant Vice President, Human Resources and Equal Opportunity
Elisa Castillo, PhD
Assistant Dean of Students for Wellness
Gene Labonte
Associate Vice President for Public Safety and Risk Management