Ohio University Requires Students & Staff to Get COVID-19 Vaccines by November15

Ohio University has imposed a Coronavirus vaccine mandate due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 infections in Ohio; therefore, all students, faculty, and staff are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by November 15, 2021, the university has announced.

In a press release, the university stressed that all students and employees, including those working remotely, should get both doses of the two-shot vaccines. This requirement does not apply to students enrolled in fully online programs whose presence on campus is not required, Erudera.com reports.

“It’s important to note, there will be an opportunity to apply for an exemption of the vaccine requirement for medical reasons or for reasons of conscience, including ethical and moral belief or sincerely held religious beliefs,” the university’s press release reads.

It further stressed that the new policy means that all students should be fully vaccinated or show an exemption for medical or religious reasons in order to return to in-person instruction in the spring semester.

The university also noted that it recognizes the following vaccines:

• Pfizer – two doses
• Johnson & Johnson/Janssen – one dose
• Moderna – two doses
• Vaccines approved under a WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL)  

In order to convince their students to get vaccinated against COVID-19, many universities in the United States have offered incentive programs to those who get fully vaccinated, including Ohio University. The latter gave students the opportunity to win scholarships as well as a dinner with Ohio Men’s Basketball head coach Jeff Boals, if they managed to register the vaccine by the deadline set by the university.

“We know you are all excited to return to the bricks, and we share your excitement – let’s all work together to make it a healthy fall semester,” the university leaders had said.

In early August, Ohio University reported that 45 percent of its campus community had provided proof of vaccination.

According to the Ohio Department of Health, on Thursday (September 2), there were 7,087 new COVID-19 cases in Ohio, bringing the number of infections in the state to 1,235,089. Ohio has recorded 20,866 deaths, while the total number of people who recovered from the virus is 1,134,296.

Over 1,000 public and private universities and colleges across the United States have imposed mandatory vaccinations for their students and employees due to the recent rise in COVID-19 infections.

Following the decision of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve Pfizer vaccine fully, about 100 universities have required their students and staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19, including the University of Richmond, Central Michigan University, the University of Louisiana, the University of Minnesota and more.