More RI Colleges, Universities Require COVID-19 Booster Shots

KINGSTON, RI — Three more colleges and universities in Rhode Island will require students and staff to get a COVID-19 booster shot before the start of the spring term in January. The University of Rhode Island, Johnson and Wales University and Salve Regina University joined Brown University in changing their vaccine policies.

URI announced the new requirement Dec. 20, saying that all eligible students, faculty and staff will need to get their booster dose before the first day of classes on Jan. 24. Amid a rise in COVID-19 cases, university recently asked all students to leave campus as soon as they finished their final exams.

The following day, Johnson and Wales University announced an identical policy, saying students, faculty and staff have until March 1 to get their booster dose.

"Since the start of the pandemic, the university has followed public health and government guidance as we have prioritized the health and wellbeing of the Johnson & Wales community," Providence Campus President Marie Bernardo-Sousa said. "As concerns remain surrounding the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, booster shots are a vital part of our ongoing effort to create a safe and healthy campus environment for all. Together, we will continue that effort and look forward to returning for a strong and successful spring semester."

In both cases, students and staff who are not yet eligible for a booster dose must get one within 30 days of becoming eligible. Under the current guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a person becomes eligible for a COVID-19 booster six months after receiving their second Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or two months after the single-dose Johnson and Johnson shot.

Providence Business News reported that all eligible students and staff at Salve Regina must get their booster dose by March 1.

Brown University announced last week that it will also require booster doses, the first in Rhode Island to do so.