COVID-19 booster shot mandate instated for CUNY and SUNY students
Devpolicy Blog
January 10, 2022
New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a new COVID–19 booster shot mandate for all CUNY and SUNY students during a press conference on Dec. 31.
“We are asking all schools to ensure that students, before they return, are boosted,” Hochul said. “They are required to be vaccinated, now we’re putting on an additional requirement. In order to return to your college campus, you have to be boosted.”
This new mandate will go into effect on Jan. 15, during the winter session for CUNY, and overrides the previous vaccination mandate that required students to be fully vaccinated with two doses from Pfizer or Moderna, or the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Now, to return to campus for the spring 2022 semester, students must receive a booster shot.
Non-immunocompromised individuals are eligible for a booster shot five months after receiving their second shot. If a student is not yet eligible for the booster shot by the beginning of the spring semester, he may enter campus until the day he becomes eligible. At this point, students are no longer allowed on campus without the third dose.
Previously, there was no mandate for faculty and staff of CUNY and SUNY campuses, but now they need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 too.
Hochul also mandated that students, faculty and staff wear masks while indoors to reduce the spread of the COVID-19, especially the omicron variant.
There will also be regular COVID-19 testing for students unable to receive a third dose.
“This is how we’re going to ensure that these campuses stay open,” Hochul said. “When a community college shuts down, or a SUNY school or a private school shuts down, that is devastating to the local economy. We can avoid this, because last time we didn’t have vaccinations, we didn’t have boosters, we didn’t have the rapid testing available.”
The Professional Staff Congress, the union for CUNY faculty and staff, said in a press release that it supports the vaccine mandate for its members.
“As the number of COVID cases in the city and the region surge to unprecedented levels, and increasing hospitalizations burden our health care facilities and their overstretched staff, this is a welcome announcement,” the statement reads.
“We expect the new policy to apply to all faculty and staff and support it as a critical layer of protection in our workplace, and an extension of the existing policy for students. We know, however, that vaccination is not enough, and CUNY must take additional measures so that each campus can ensure the safety of our members and students,” Hochul said.
Dan • Dec 31, 2022 at 7:52 pm
I’m still dealing with effects of being forced to get a covid booster shot due the ineptitude of the person that administered my shot. What was the science that Gov. Hochul followed in making this decision? I had a fully functional arm before being forced to get vaccinated, now I am still waiting for the strength in my arm to return to 100%. I complied with the first set of vaccination requirements, and foolishly believed there would be no ill effects from getting a booster at my local shoprite pharmacy.
Dominique Pallier • Jul 10, 2022 at 3:19 pm
I’m writing this in July 2022, I was vaccinated in 2021 during the height of the pandemic. I just finished Spring semester at a CUNY college, but have been asked to take a booster if I wish to attend in Fall 2022.
Due to the fact that there is a very small support from scientists about the efficacy of the booster against these various variants of Omicron, I decided to not take a booster.
There’s been lots of research and info on this issue and yet the governor insists on this mandate. It’s a matter of covering their a- – – s pure and simple. The governor was boosted twice and got Covid as did the mayor.
The deal is one does not get as sick with the booster so we are told but researchers have repeated that the antibody immunity does not last more than a few months and this more recent strain bypasses it all.
So CUNY should look at that valid info, when a vaccine can be produced that will be able to hold this virus off for a long period, I’ll be on line waiting for that shot.
Ron • Mar 2, 2022 at 4:25 pm
why are student mandated and professors are not ? interesting.
that is my understanding. Students are the less affected.
Adell • Jan 18, 2022 at 2:33 pm
“Absolute” common sense to make it mandatory with the average positive rate (all – vaccinated and unvaccinated) 0.45% and unvaccinated 0.50%. Vaccination definitely makes a big difference and works. For sure!
SUNY will continue to report real-time results at the COVID-19 Case Tracker available here. Since the beginning of the Fall 2020 semester, when students began returning for in-person classes, SUNY has administered nearly three million tests on campus with an average positivity rate of about 0.45 percent, far lower than statewide and surrounding community rates.
CUNY will continue to report weekly results on its COVID-19 Safety Tracker available here. Since August 25, CUNY has administered almost 95,000 tests to unvaccinated individuals with an average cumulative positivity rate of 0.50 percent.
https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-spring-semester-guidance-has-been-issued-suny-and-cuny-campuses
Joe • Jan 27, 2022 at 9:30 am
Disgusting, are you actually saying that a .05% difference in “positive rate” is substantial enough to warrant the governments abuse of power in trampling New Yorker’s right to bodily autonomy? What a joke, you should be ashamed. I almost thought you were being sarcastic until I remembered how many brain dead lemmings actually think this way. I would wager you supported the disgusting attempt to allow illegal aliens to vote in elections too. You are like a cancer cell, eventually you and others like you will destroy this nation.
I sincerely hope you wake up before that happens.
Xavier • Feb 28, 2022 at 1:30 pm
RIGHT! MY COURSE ISNT EVEN BEING OFFERED ONLINE SO IM FORCED TO NOT GET AN EDUCATION AS MY RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION WAS DENIED. I WILL NOT GO AGAINST MY RELIGION AND IT IS SAD THAT CUNY GAVE PEOPLE LIKE ME THE FINGER AND KICKED US TO THE CURB. IM THREE YEARS IN FOR NO REASON