Our vaccine requirement — instituted before the start of the fall 2021 semester — played a critical role in putting COVID infections in check, allowing SLU to remain open successfully for four consecutive semesters during the pandemic.
In recent months, we have started to take steady and substantive steps to scale back our COVID-19 mitigation measures as we continue to review the latest science, as well as consult with faculty, staff and students.
With this in mind, SLU has announced that it will no longer require COVID-19 vaccination for students or employees on our St. Louis campuses.
In the future, we may reinstate our COVID-19 vaccine requirements to protect the well-being of our campus community. We continue to highly recommend that everyone stay up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccination, which has been shown to reduce the risk of severe illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19.
Frequently Asked Questions
Per the CDC, COVID-19 vaccines help our bodies develop immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19 without us having to get the illness. They do this by leaving the body with a supply of certain cells that will remember how to fight that virus in the future. None of the COVID-19 vaccines are live-virus vaccines.
You can learn more about how COVID-19 vaccines work on the CDC website. You’ll also find information about the three types of vaccines currently approved for use, including how they are administered and their possible side effects.
The CDC has given each of us the agency to decide which type of vaccine — Moderna, Pfizer or J&J — we want for our COVID booster dose. You can get the same type of COVID-19 vaccine you received initially, or you can get a different vaccine type. Please speak with your primary care provider if you are unsure which is best for you.
Yes. Based on current CDC guidance, even those who are up to date on vaccination would need to be tested if they were identified through the contact tracing process as a close contact of someone who tested positive or part of a cluster. This also applies to students who are up to date on vaccination and who begin exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19.
In addition, being up-to-date on vaccination could help you avoid quarantine if you are exposed to someone who is infected with COVID-19.
Yes. Based on current CDC guidance, even students who are up to date on vaccination would need to be tested if they were identified through the contact tracing process as a close contact of someone who tested positive or part of a cluster. This also applies to students who are up to date on vaccination and who begin exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, as well as all members of athletics teams that require regular asymptomatic testing per NCAA guidelines.
Individuals from vulnerable populations who receive the booster doses for which they are eligible are at significantly lower risk of having serious illness, requiring hospitalization, and dying from COVID-19. If you are over 65, immunocompromised and/or a member of other high-risk populations, we strongly encourage you to obtain booster doses when you are eligible to do so. Being up-to-date on vaccination, including having received all booster doses for which you are eligible, will also prevent your need to quarantine after exposure to someone infected with COVID-19.