Students and staff on campus were already required to be vaccinated in order to attend classes beginning in the Fall 2021 semester. Now, students planning on attending classes in 2022 must receive a booster shot.
“Requiring boosters is not a step we take lightly, but it is critical as we prepare for the more contagious Omricon variant,” the university wrote on social media in their announcement.
As cases of COVID-19 surge with the emergence of the Omricon variant, Colorado State University in Fort Collins, one of Colorado’s largest college campuses, will require all students and staff who visit the campus to have a booster shot.
The university will continue to accept approved exemptions from the vaccine mandate and will also require regular saliva testing for those who haven’t provided complete vaccination records.
“We know, based on science and data, that masks, screenings, contact tracing, vaccines and boosters can help our community stay healthy amid this global pandemic. Our CSU community has really stepped up with more than 90 percent of our community fully vaccinated and not one in-class Covid transmission all year. We must maintain this momentum,” CSU President Joyce McConnell wrote in a statement.
CSU said they will soon provide more information on how to complete vaccination records for the upcoming semester.
Mask Order In Denver And Neighboring Counties Extended Through February 3
Denver and neighboring counties are extending the order requiring everyone 2 and older to wear a face covering indoors, or show proof of vaccination, through Feb. 3.
If a business or venue can verify that at least 95% of people within the facility (including employees and customers) are fully vaccinated, then face coverings will not be required.
“As the Omicron variant continues to spread during this holiday season, and hospital capacity remains strained, we simply cannot afford to let up now,” Mayor Michael B. Hancock said.
“After the public health order went into effect in November 2021, Denver’s one-week average positivity rate dropped to below 5%, but it has quickly started to rise in the last two weeks,” officials stated. “Cases and hospitalizations are expected to continue to increase as community transmission of the Omicron variant becomes prevalent. ”
Officials are also encouraging everyone to get the COVID-19 vaccine and the booster dose.
“Boosters provide the highest level of protection against the Omicron variant and prevent against serious illness and hospitalization,” officials stated. “Everyone 16 years and older should get a booster dose six months after receiving the second dose of Pfizer or Moderna or two months after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.”
While breakthrough cases are possible, vaccination protects against severe illness and hospitalization. According to the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, boosted Coloradans are 47 times less likely to be hospitalized than unvaccinated Coloradans.
