University of Michigan mandates COVID-19 booster at all campuses; Omicron variant detected at Ann Arbor campus
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (FOX 2) - All University of Michigan students, staff, and faculty at all three of the university's campuses are required to get the COVID-19 vaccine booster.
This mandate includes Michigan Medicine employees.
The university announced mandate Friday, the same day Michigan State University shared its booster mandate.
According to the university, the Omicron variant has been detected on the Ann Arbor campus. U-M also has campuses in Dearborn and Flint.
Related: Omicron COVID-19 variant confirmed in Oakland County
The booster requirement applies to the winter 2022 term, and the deadline is Feb. 4 for all people eligible for the booster.
Boosters are recommended by the CDC six months after your last shot if you received a two-dose vaccine or two months after your one-shot vaccination if you received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
As with the vaccine requirement the university implemented for the fall semester, there are limited exemptions for religious or medical reasons.
"The existing mitigation strategies have allowed our campuses to have a successful in-person fall experience, which has benefited our entire community in so many ways despite the ongoing pandemic," said Robert Ernst, associate vice president for student life and director of the Campus Health Response Committee.
Each campus and Michigan Medicine will provide implementation details when they are finalized, including how to report booster information.
The university has also implemented other COVID-19 mitigation strategies in addition to the booster requirement.
Students who live in residence halls must be tested for Covid through the Community Sampling and Tracking Program when they arrive to campus. Masks will be required in residence halls from Jan. 2 through at least Jan. 17.
Rise in flu cases at U-M campus in Ann Arbor is a good reason for vaccine this winter, says expert
The U-M cases have been identified as the h3n2 strain of influenza. That’s important, and concerning because we tend to see more hospitalizations and deaths in years where that strain of flu is the dominant one.