10-10-23: Community Health Message
Dear Wooster Campus Community,
After the release of updated recommendations from the Centers from Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding COVID-19 vaccination recommendations, we have updated our policies and recommendations at The College of Wooster regarding vaccination.
COVID-19 vaccination remains the best way to keep our residential campus community safe and ensure students can enjoy the full Wooster experience. Like many of our peers across Ohio and the Great Lakes region, Wooster will continue to require that all incoming students (including transfer students) receive COVID-19 vaccination. We also strongly encourage all continuing students, faculty, and staff, to stay up to date with their COVID-19 vaccination as recommended by the CDC to help protect the campus against new variants of the coronavirus.
Types of COVID-19 Vaccines Currently Available
Vaccines authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) currently include:
- Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines which are mRNA vaccines.
- Novavax COVID-19 vaccine which is a protein subunit vaccine.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone aged 5 years and older should get 1 dose of updated (2023–2024 Formula) mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. The updated vaccines are expected to provide good protection against COVID-19 from the currently circulating variants. Barring the emergence of a markedly more virulent variant, the FDA anticipates that the composition of COVID-19 vaccines may need to be updated annually, as is done for the seasonal influenza vaccine. According to the CDC, COVID-19 vaccines have undergone, and continue to undergo, the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history. Evidence from the hundreds of millions of COVID-19 vaccines already administered in the United States, and the billions of vaccines administered globally, demonstrates that they are safe and effective at protecting people from getting seriously ill, being hospitalized, and dying from SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Visit the CDC website to learn more about staying up to date and the recommended vaccines. Visit www.vaccines.gov to find a location to schedule your vaccine.
All incoming students are required to report their vaccination status using the confidential Student Wellness Portal. If you haven’t visited this portal to update all of your medical information, please do so no later than Jan. 1.
Students who cannot be vaccinated for COVID-19 because of a medical reason or sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance may request an exemption through the College. Exemptions or reasonable accommodations are not guaranteed. Students wishing to request a vaccine exemption should complete the vaccine exemption form no later than two weeks prior to the start of the classes.
The College of Wooster is committed to operating our campus safely and to providing excellent campus and educational experiences. Throughout the pandemic, our decisions about how to achieve this have been guided by the best public health expertise, and we have evolved and adapted our plans as the pandemic and science have evolved. Members of the Community Health Taskforce referenced the latest research from Centers for Disease Control and have consulted with experts from Cleveland Clinic and the Wayne County Health Department in preparation for making this determination.
The College will continue to maintain a mask optional policy for all faculty, staff, students, and visitors, with a few notable exceptions:
- Masks absolutely must be worn by anyone who is COVID-19 positive or has symptoms of COVID-19, until the required isolation protocol has been completed. Check wooster.edu/guide for what to do if you feel ill. Masks should be worn until symptoms have passed.
- Faculty and staff may continue to require masks in their classrooms and personal offices.
Throughout the 2023-2024 academic year, the College will continue to provide high-quality, well-fitted masks, self-administered rapid COVID-19 tests for students, and “masks required” door hangs to anyone who needs them. Employees covered by the College’s health insurance program are now able to order free tests through Anthem/Express Scripts and others can order tests through covidtests.gov. Students, staff, and faculty who are experiencing symptoms or would like to monitor their health are able to pick up masks or a self-administered rapid test at the service center and in the following campus locations:
- Lowry Center Information Desk
- Andrews Library Circulation Desk
- Longbrake Student Wellness Center Door A and Door D
- Ruth Williams Hall Stockroom
Thanks for all you continue to do to keep Wooster safe.
Best,
Dean Cliff Bobbitt
Posted in Community Message on January 26, 2024.
