Cornell University to require booster for students, staff

ITHACA, N.Y. – Leaders from Cornell University have announced that a Covid-19 booster shot will be mandatory for students, faculty, and staff to return to campus for the Spring 2022 semester.

According to the university’s provost, members of the campus community will have either until January 31, 2022 or until 30 days after a person becomes eligible to get the booster shot. The university released a statement on Tuesday saying in part:

"As Dr. Anthony Fauci M.D. ’66 noted just last week, recent studies indicate that Moderna and Pfizer boosters are likely to offer substantial protection against the highly-transmissible Omicron variant. We also now have direct experience with the ability of that variant to infect vaccinated members of our community, but – importantly – to infect boosted individuals at a far lower rate."

The university also said that plans for the Spring semester are changing rapidly amid the surge in the highly-transmissible omicron variant. Last week, the university shut down most of campus and moved final exams online due to a Covid outbreak.

Click here to schedule a booster shot in Monroe County.

Read the statement from Cornell University here.