Penn State College of Medicine Pandemic Response highlights COVID-19 vaccination mandate
College of Medicine leaders updated faculty, staff and students on Dec. 3 about COVID-19 vaccination mandate.
This Week’s Updates:
Dec. 6 Deadline Changed; Full Vaccination Still Needed by Jan. 4
No longer need to comply with Dec. 6 deadline
On Nov. 30, a federal judge at least temporarily blocked one of the three federal vaccine mandates. The judge halted the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services mandate that required health care workers to receive their first dose of the vaccine by Monday, Dec. 6.
This means College of Medicine employed faculty and staff, as well as students, do not need to comply with the previous Dec. 6 deadline for vaccination or application for accommodations.
Full vaccination required by Jan. 4
The vaccine mandate for federal contractors remains in place. Employees, part-time (wage) students, graduate students supported on stipends as well as students supported on graduate assistantships must be fully vaccinated or have applied for an accommodation by Tuesday, Jan. 4. Students who are not on the COM payroll will not be required to be vaccinated by Jan. 4 at this time.
Next steps
Employees (including all students paid by the University)
- If you are vaccinated:
- Log in to Salesforce Health Cloud for Penn State and ReadySet for Penn State Health/Hershey Medical Center, check your vaccination status and upload proof of vaccination.
- Make sure your vaccination status and proof of vaccination are uploaded in both
- If you are unvaccinated:
- Schedule your first dose at Hershey Medical Center, Holy Spirit Medical Center or St. Joseph Medical Center, or get your vaccination at a pharmacy, grocery store or urgent care center near you by visiting vaccines.gov.
- In order to meet the Jan. 4 deadline to receive a final dose, individuals must get their first dose of the various vaccines no later than these dates:
- Moderna: Tuesday, Dec. 7
- Pfizer-BioNTech: Tuesday, Dec. 14
- Johnson & Johnson (single dose): Tuesday, Jan. 4
- Medical or religious accommodation requests must be filed by Tuesday, Jan. 4.
- Given the upcoming December break for Penn State, all staff are recommended to submit accommodation requests no later than Saturday, Dec. 11. This will allow time for the accommodation request to be reviewed and approved, which could take up to five business days. Any requests submitted after Friday, Dec. 17 will not be reviewed during the University closure from Monday, Dec. 20 to Monday, Jan. 3.
- Employees should submit their accommodation requests to the following:
- Medical accommodation request
- Religious accommodation request
Students
It is likely students will be required to be fully vaccinated at some point in the future. We strongly encourage unvaccinated students to take steps to become fully vaccinated.
- If you are vaccinated:
- Log in to the University Health Services (UHS) website to check your vaccination status and upload proof of vaccination.
- Students who have already uploaded their vaccine information and received the confirmation of upload from UHS do not need to upload it again.
- If you are unvaccinated:
- It is likely students will be required to be fully vaccinated at some point in the future. We strongly encourage unvaccinated students to take steps to become fully vaccinated.
- Find a vaccine location closest to you at a pharmacy, grocery store or urgent care center by visiting vaccines.gov.
Booster Shots Recommended for Everyone Ages 18 and Older
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend everyone who is 18 years old or older and has received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine or one dose of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine also receive a booster shot.
If your first full dose was the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine:
- Get your booster at least six months after completing your primary COVID-19 vaccination series.
- Your booster shot can be any of the COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the U.S.
If your first full dose was Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine:
- Get your booster at least two months after completing your primary COVID-19 vaccination.
- Your booster shot can be any of the COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the U.S.
Omicron Coronavirus Variant
The Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) of SARS-CoV-2, which has now been detected in the U.S., has been listed as a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization, which has stated that the overall global risk related to the variant is “very high.” Read a Penn State news article on Omicron and see why a Penn State expert says more time is needed to fully understand the potential impacts of the variant.
Lodging Accommodations Related to Conference and Meeting Travel
As a general reminder, College of Medicine faculty traveling to scientific meetings and conferences should consult Penn State Travel Policy TR02 prior to booking lodging accommodations, especially when considering services such as Airbnb. When making accommodations with Airbnb, the University will not serve as the contracting party, and the individual faculty member is responsible for any and all liability associated with the use of such services. While accommodations through Airbnb may at times be more economical, travelers may not be fully reimbursed for cancellation fees imposed by Airbnb. While booking through Airbnb is not prohibited by the University, travelers need to be cognizant of cancellation policies. As always, travelers are encouraged to consider Anthony Travel, the University’s contracted travel service provider, for booking assistance.
Winter Break Travel Guidance
In an article in Penn State Today, Penn State leaders encourage the community to continue taking health and safety precautions over the winter break as outlined by both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of State. Various countries have instituted new or updated travel restrictions and requirements due to the identification and spread of the coronavirus Omicron variant.
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