COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements

The University requires all faculty, staff, and students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 unless an exemption is granted. The booster is not a current University requirement.

Failure to comply with this vaccination requirement will result in corrective action measures applied with respect to the University’s COVID-19 vaccine policy (#165) and COVID-19 healthcare provider vaccine policy (#164).

Students are required to be fully vaccinated and are strongly encouraged, but no longer required, to get the booster upon becoming eligible. If you have received your booster, please make sure to upload an image of your vaccine card to UHSConnect. Please upload the front and back of your card (preferably in one image), as we need your name, date of birth, the vaccine manufacturer, vaccine lot number, and dates of all dose(s) received.

Students with questions regarding vaccinations and exemptions should contact UHS at uhscovid19@uhs.rochester.edu or (585) 275-2662.

The University will follow New York State and CDC guidance for COVID-19 vaccines, and will recognize students as fully vaccinated who have received vaccines approved for emergency use by the CDC, which currently includes the vaccines listed on the World Health Organization (WHO) emergency use list (click on button: Status of COVID-19 Vaccines within WHO EUL/PQ evaluation process). University leaders are continuing to monitor relevant guidance and will update requirements as new information becomes available.

No, you no longer are required to get a booster. Recently, New York State announced that it is no longer enforcing the booster requirement for health care workers until further notice. We’re following suit and, although we continue to encourage boosting for anyone who is eligible, we are putting the booster requirement for all University students, faculty, staff (including the University of Rochester Medical Center) on hold indefinitely.

For the latest updates on Medical Center protocols and guidelines, visit the URMC Intranet site.

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a vaccine mandate covering many health care workers. The Supreme Court did put OSHA’s vaccine mandate for large employers on hold, but individual employers remain free to require vaccines.

It is true that people who are fully vaccinated and boosted can still contract COVID. But it is also true that the COVID vaccines, especially when followed by a booster, lower the risk of infection. And prevention of infection results in prevention of potential onward transmission from individuals who were spared the infection.

The vaccines and vaccine boosters also greatly reduce the severity of the symptoms for the majority of those fully vaccinated people who do catch COVID. People with milder cases of COVID are much less likely to die; boosters save lives. And people with milder cases are much more likely to be able to manage their symptoms at home, which is an enormous relief to our health care systems and staff.

The University is requiring that all personnel employed by or affiliated with contractors, suppliers, and consultants, and who perform work indoors on the University’s campuses and properties be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing the week before and each week during their time on campus. Get full details on the University Facilities website.

Reference our Summer Camps and Programs page to see vaccine requirements for summer camp registrants.