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December 12, 2021 – COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Required in 2022

Dear Whitman community,

As you all know, Whitman committed last summer to being a fully vaccinated campus, and we are very pleased to have 98% of our campus community vaccinated. Over the past year COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to be highly effective in preventing serious illness and death, reducing symptoms and decreasing transmission of the virus. However, recent research also indicates that the protection offered by the vaccines drops to 50–60% after eight months but rises back to 95% two weeks following a booster dose. As we have seen with the spike in cases this past week, the COVID danger is still very real. Consequently, the CDC recommended that all adults receive a booster dose as soon as they are eligible, either six months after their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna or two months after their first dose of Johnson & Johnson. 

Therefore, the Cabinet and elected faculty leadership, following discussion with our consulting epidemiologist, have decided that all members of our campus community will be required to receive a COVID-19 booster vaccination by January 15, 2022. People who are not eligible for the booster at that point will need to attest that they plan to receive the booster as soon as possible. Anyone who currently has a medical or religious COVID-19 vaccine exemption will not be required to receive a booster, and individuals may also apply for a temporary exemption due to the booster’s emergency use authorization. We will send a follow-up email later this week with details on how to provide your proof of receiving the vaccine booster or apply for an exemption.

While the new Omicron variant is prominent in the media, here in Walla Walla and around the U.S. the Delta variant currently causes 99% of new infections, and we know that our existing vaccines are highly effective against it. Research on the efficacy of current vaccines against the Omicron variant is underway, but scientists expect that, with boosters, they will provide significant protection even if Omicron proves more infectious than Delta. Adults should not delay receiving their booster until more is known about Omicron, says Washington state Secretary of Health Umair Shah. “Vaccination and boosters are the best weapons we have to fight coronavirus now – preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death.”

This vaccine booster requirement is a necessary step in continuing to build our layers of protection so that we can head confidently into our spring semester at Whitman and continue supporting public health efforts in the Walla Walla Valley. You can find more information on the COVID boosters, including where to get one in Walla Walla, on the Walla Walla County Department of Community Health’s COVID-19 website. We strongly encourage you to get your booster at least two weeks before returning to campus in 2022 if you are eligible and appreciate your prompt attention to this important matter during winter break.

Best,
Kathy Murray

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