Penn State Health reactivates vaccine mandate following Supreme Court decision. Deadline for compliance is Jan. 27.

Following the Jan. 13 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Penn State Health is once again requiring all employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or receive a medical or religious accommodation. The new deadline to receive a first dose of a vaccine or apply for an accommodation is Thursday, Jan. 27.

Penn State Health’s COVID-19 vaccination guidelines are here.

The Supreme Court’s decision upheld the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rule that all health care workers must be vaccinated.

Just 4% of Penn State Health employees have neither received a vaccination nor applied for a medical or religious accommodation. Penn State Health Human Resources will reach out to those not in compliance to detail the actions they must take. Additionally, the health system will work with its contractors, volunteers and students to ensure their compliance with vaccination requirements.

A completed vaccine series—two doses for either Pfizer or Moderna, or one dose of Johnson & Johnson—or an approved accommodation must be in place for all members of the workforce by Saturday, Feb. 26.

Although they are not included in the vaccine mandate at this time, booster shots are encouraged for those who are fully vaccinated. Anyone who had their second dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at least five months ago or the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago, is eligible for a booster:

• Sign up Employee Health
• Or find free, community options near you on vaccines.gov.

Employees should direct any questions to AskaCOVID-Q with “Vaccine Compliance Question” in the subject line. This mailbox is monitored by a dedicated team to help provide direct support.

If you're having trouble accessing this content, or would like it in another format, please email the Penn State College of Medicine web department.