Yale University announced it will now require students to get a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine booster by the start of the 2023 spring semester.
“Based on recent CDC recommendations, the university will require all undergraduate, graduate, and professional students—other than those with an approved medical or religious exemption—to receive an updated, bivalent COVID-19 vaccine booster by the start of the spring semester, even if they have previously received a monovalent booster,” Stephanie Spangler, Vice Provost for Health Affairs and Academic Integrity, wrote in a message to the Yale Community.
She explained that the booster is necessary because “experience and research have shown that vaccine-induced immunity can wane over time, and new COVID-19 variants can challenge our immune defenses.”
At the same time, faculty “are strongly encouraged” to get boosted once eligible.