2 NJ Colleges Mandate Booster Shots As COVID-19 Cases Rise

NEW JERSEY — As COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the country, several New Jersey colleges mandated booster shots for all eligible students and staff.

Princeton University and Stevens Institute of Technology announced the new requirement for eligible students this week. On the Princeton University campus, eligible students must receive booster shots by Jan. 31, or 30 days after they become eligible, while Stevens Institute of Technology requires students and staff to get booster shots no later than March 31.

Stevens Institute of Technology issued a letter to students on Friday noting that the new requirement was based on updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that advises all eligible adults 18 and older to get a booster.

"The booster vaccine is important as public health experts are beginning to see reduced protection from the initial doses of the COVID-19 vaccines," officials said. "Experts are confident that booster shots will increase immune response and provide further protection against the virus, preventing severe illness and hospitalizations."

Earlier this week, Princeton University announced it was moving final exams to a remote format after reporting an uptick in cases among undergraduates, including "suspected cases of the highly contagious Omicron variant." On Tuesday, 28 university community members tested positive for COVID-19. Read More: Remote Exams, Limited Gatherings At Princeton U After COVID Spike

Both schools’ current policies require students, faculty, and staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but allow religious and medical exemptions.

In New Jersey, adults who are fully vaccinated can receive a booster six months after getting a second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or two months after a Johnson & Johnson shot.

The booster shot mandate at the two universities comes as schools across New Jersey saw a significant increase in COVID-19 cases this week.

Speaking at a news conference Monday, Gov. Phil Murphy said the rate of infection has nearly doubled for students throughout the month of November and increased roughly 2.5 times for staff per 1,000 people. Read More: COVID Infection Rate Nearly Doubles In NJ Schools Amid Spike

For the week ending on Dec. 5, schools reported 4,998 new student cases and 1,168 teacher cases. That equals to 4.56 student cases per 1,000 students and 5.79 staff cases per 1,000 staff members, according to the state dashboard.

Regulations continue to change on how to combat the coronavirus pandemic. New York's new statewide indoor mask mandate went into effect Monday after the new omicron variant emerged.

New Jersey has not followed suit, though during the Monday news conference Murphy said, "Every option is on the table at the moment," in regards to mandating indoor masks again. Read more: Will NJ's Indoor Mask Mandate Return? Here's What Murphy Says

With reporting by Caren Lissner, Sarah Salvadore.