COVID-19 Booster Vaccine Required for Campus Community

The COVID-19 booster vaccination will be required for all members of the college community by January 31, 2022. Marist College currently has a vaccination rate of 96.1% and had 144 COVID-19 cases during the fall semester. 

“Based on what we know at this time, we do not anticipate changes to the spring 2022 academic calendar, nor shifting to remote education,” the President’s Cabinet said. “However, this will require a collective effort and a redoubled commitment by everyone in our community, especially with the emergence of a highly contagious new variant, Omicron.”

Both students and employees were required to get their first and second COVID-19 vaccination for the fall semester. The administration is also requiring the campus community to get their flu vaccinations by January 14, 2022. 

“A fully vaccinated campus combined with an indoor-mask requirement and symptomatic testing remain the best strategies to protect against severe cases of COVID-19, including its variants,” the President’s Cabinet said.

According to the CDC, eligible individuals are those who received the second dose of their Pfizer or Moderna series at least six months ago or received their Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago. The CDC is not requiring that people receive the same type of COVID-19 vaccine for their booster so mixing Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson is allowed.  

 If students and employees are not eligible for their third COVID-19 vaccination by January 31st, they will be required to have it within 30 days of becoming eligible.

“Individuals who were previously approved for a medical or religious exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine requirement will retain their exemptions,” the President’s Cabinet said. “Weekly surveillance testing will be mandatory for any student with an approved medical or religious exemption.”

Once members of the Marist community have completed their COVID-19 booster and flu vaccinations, they are required to upload them to the Marist Health Portal using marist.medicatconnect.com. If students or employees attended an on-campus flu vaccine clinic during the fall semester, they are not required to upload proof of that vaccination. 

As of now, classes for the spring semester will begin on Tuesday, January 18. The residence halls will open for students on Monday, January 17 at 10:00 am. The Marist administration will make a final determination regarding study abroad offerings on Monday, January 10. 

Two weeks after a person’s final COVID-19 vaccine is when they will be able to stop wearing their masks and social distancing in most settings. Source: Marist College, Instagram