Harvard University has announced that it will require COVID-19 vaccine booster shots and that it will also mostly shift to remote learning for the first three weeks of January 2022, citing the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
Lawrence Bacow, president of Harvard, along with other top administrators, said in the statement that if people are unable to get a vaccine booster dose before they return to campus, “additional opportunities will be available” and that they “will not be barred from entering campus.”
The administrators said they will communicate more information in early January about the vaccine booster shot requirement.
“Please know that we do not take this step lightly,” they said in a statement. “It is prompted by the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases locally and across the country, as well as the growing presence of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
“It is reinforced by the guidance of public health experts who have advised the University throughout the pandemic. As always, we make this decision with the health and safety of our community as our top priority.”
Some activities will continue to occur in person, such as laboratory work or patient-centered clinical activities. Students who need to be on campus during the three-week period should have authorization from their respective schools to do so. Faculty, staff, and researchers should work remotely “if possible.”
The Omicron COVID-19 variant is expected to become the dominant variant across the United States and “potentially” peak in the first few weeks of January, according to university administrators.
“We are planning a return to more robust on-campus activities later in January, public health conditions permitting,” they wrote.
The university’s spring semester classes are set to start on Jan. 24, following the three-week period.
On Dec. 18, Harvard acknowledged that the Omicron variant is “already present” on campus.
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