Duke University sets rules for mandatory COVID booster shots for students, employees
Duke University students and employees must get a COVID-19 booster shot before returning from the holiday break as concern about the rapid spread of the omicron variant continues to grow.
Duke University, Duke University Health System and the Private Diagnostic Clinic will require all students and employees to provide proof of receiving the COVID-19 booster shot in January or as soon as they are eligible under CDC and state guidelines.
The university announced the mandate last week, and set guidelines for faculty and staff members Tuesday, Dec 28, in a memo from Vice President for Administration Kyle Cavanaugh and Carol Epling, director of Employee Occupational Health & Wellness.
The booster shot will be a condition of employment for all faculty and staff and they must show documentation of their completed vaccination by 10 a.m. on Feb. 1, 2022, or within 28 days of their eligibility under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state guidelines.
Employees who already received an exemption from the vaccine requirement are also exempt from the booster requirement.Employees who do not meet the deadline will be issued a Final Written Warning and placed on administrative leave. After seven days, anyone not compliant will be terminated and not recommended for rehire, according to the university.
The university previously announced that it will delay the start of in-person instruction until the week of Jan. 10. Students will take online classes the week of Jan. 3.
Duke University leaders cited how the omicron variant has been reported in Durham and is now expected to quickly become the dominant strain of COVID-19.
Gov. Roy Cooper last week urged North Carolina residents to test for COVID-19 before holiday gatherings, The N&O reported. State health officials warn the omicron variant could trigger 10,000 COVID-19 cases a day in January, echoing a post-holiday surge seen earlier this year.
The emergence of the omicron variant is altering the university’s spring semester plans.
“We are closely monitoring national, local and campus conditions in consultation with our infectious disease and public health specialists to determine if we need to make any changes in plans for the start of the Spring semester in January,” Sally Kornbluth, Duke’s provost, and Kyle Cavanaugh, Duke’s vice president of administration, said in the announcement.
Private schools requiring COVID shots
Duke and many other private North Carolina colleges and universities have required students to get COVID-19 vaccinations in order to attend classes. The UNC System has not issued a vaccine mandate for its schools but has strongly encouraged the shot, The N&O previously reported.
UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State University students and employees who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 must get tested when returning to campus this spring. Students living on campus must also provide negative test results, regardless of vaccination status.
“We’re seeing more and more evidence about the effectiveness of boosters, particularly with the omicron variant coming toward us.,” Cooper said at Monday’s press conference in response to a question about Duke requiring the booster.
Duke says that while the omicron variant appears to cause fewer cases of severe illness, it’s much more contagious than the delta variant. The university says the rapid spread of omicron on the Durham campus could threaten educational activities.
More than 20,000 faculty and staff and nearly 4,000 students have already received their booster shots, according to the university. Duke says people who haven’t gotten the booster yet should do so as soon as possible and submit documentation to the university.
“These steps will help limit a potential outbreak on our campus and in our community and protect those most vulnerable to this virus,” Kornblut and Cavanaugh said.
This story was originally published December 20, 2021 at 12:21 PM with the headline "Duke University sets rules for mandatory COVID booster shots for students, employees."
