Dear Students,
As you know, a high rate of vaccination is critical in our fight against COVID-19, and the benefits of a uniformly, highly-vaccinated community have been realized on our campus with extremely low case rates and low test-positivity among those who receive regular surveillance testing this academic year.
Booster shots provide an additional layer of protection against COVID-19, and we are encouraged that all members of our community who were fully vaccinated more than six months ago are now both eligible and supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to receive a booster shot.
As an extension of the University’s existing COVID-19 vaccination requirement, the COVID-19 booster is required of all students - undergraduate, graduate, and professional, including students studying or performing research remotely and/or virtually - to minimize our community’s experience with coronavirus.
Students who have already received an exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine requirement are exempt from the booster requirement and do not need to reapply for a new exemption. Any student who does not already have an exemption but now needs one should email immunizations@nd.edu.
Similar to last spring, Notre Dame will host our own booster vaccination clinic upon your return to campus this spring with enough Pfizer-BioNTech booster vaccines for all students. This clinic will be held Tuesday, Jan. 11 through Friday, Jan 14, 2022 inside the Joyce Center. Students must register for an appointment in advance and can do so here.
In the meantime, if you were fully vaccinated for COVID-19 more than six months ago and would like to receive a booster shot before traveling for Christmas break or while you are away from campus, a variety of options are available. For a full list of Indiana COVID-19 vaccination sites, please click here. Students who receive the booster outside the vaccine booster clinic or University Health Services (UHS) must upload a picture of their vaccine card to their UHS patient portal. Instructions for uploading booster documentation can be found here.
The deadline for receiving the booster vaccine will be mid-spring semester, with ample time for students to receive the booster dose and upload documentation.
As always, thank you for all you have done and will continue to do to keep yourselves and our community safe. Best wishes for a successful conclusion to the fall semester.
In Notre Dame,
Fr. Gerry Olinger, C.S.C.
Vice President for Student Affairs
Laura Carlson
Vice President, Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School
Mike Seamon
Vice President for Campus Safety and University Operations