Office of the Provost
Info For:

Boosters to Be Required for Winter Term

December 21, 2021

Summary

  • All eligible faculty, professional staff and students are required to get a COVID-19 vaccine booster. New vaccine booster clinic dates are below.
  • Family members of Drexel employees aged 18 or older can also get a booster at the University's clinic this week.
  • Faculty and professional staff are expected to return to work after the winter break in accordance with their pre-established work arrangements.

Dear Colleagues,

Recently, the Philadelphia Health Commissioner strongly requested that all universities in the city require COVID-19 vaccine boosters to reduce the risk of infection and decrease viral transmission. The omicron variant is highly contagious, and available data shows that the current one- or two-dose vaccines are much less effective in preventing infection than they were previously.

The significant regional and national increase in COVID-19 cases due to the delta and omicron variants  poses a number of logistical challenges for the start of in-person classes in January. While current data indicates that infection with the omicron variant often appears to result in milder illness among fully vaccinated persons, infected persons will still need to isolate, and many will still experience illness. Students and employees who test positive over the break may not be able to travel to campus, or they may test positive upon arrival to campus. Amid uncertainty, we are trying to support continuity of academic instruction while doing our best to support those who may need to isolate and/or need to be supported during symptomatic infection.

All eligible Drexel faculty, professional staff and students are now required to get a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Drexel is offering an additional booster clinic at Behrakis Hall in Creese Student Center (32nd and Chestnut streets) on December 21. Given the important added protection of boosters against infection with the omicron variant, employee family members aged 18 and over can also make appointments for COVID boosters at the Drexel booster clinic this week. Boosters are also available at many retail pharmacies.

Schedule your booster appointment online with SunRay Drugs.

Who Must Receive the Booster?

All faculty and professional staff members are required to receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster. This requirement involves all individuals in a paid status, including adjunct, casual/per-diem and temporary employees.

COVID-19 Booster Compliance Deadlines

All faculty and professional staff are required to receive their COVID-19 booster six months after their last COVID-19 vaccine dose was administered (or two months after the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine). It is the expectation that all individuals receive their booster shot as soon as they become eligible.

Booster Exemptions

Faculty and professional staff members who have been granted a medical or religious exemption for the COVID-19 vaccine requirement will also be exempted from the COVID-19 booster requirement. It will remain the expectation that all who receive an exemption will be enrolled in the mandatory weekly COVID-19 screening program and required to follow any additional guidance for your protection.

Providing Proof of Booster

You can record your COVID-19 booster in the Drexel Health Checker app.

  • Click on More, then select the Vaccine Records menu.
  • Choose the option to ADD a vaccine record. Then select BOOSTER plus the vaccine manufacturer/type from the list and add the booster dose information.

If you are unable to upload your booster information in the Drexel Health Checker app, please contact the HR Service Center at hr@drexel.edu.

Returning to Work After Winter Break

As announced on Friday, the first week of the winter quarter and of some spring semester programs (week of January 3) will be conducted in a remote, synchronous format. The decision about whether to return to in-person instruction for Week 2 will be announced on January 3 and will be guided by science, public health authorities, regional transmission and campus conditions to reduce risk to our community.

While classes will be conducted remotely, faculty and professional staff are expected to return to work after the winter break in accordance with their pre-established arrangements. As you plan your return, please be aware that Drexel's plans may change as we weigh the many logistical challenges posed by the pandemic. We know this may be frustrating, and we appreciate your patience as we respond to rapid developments with the goal of keeping our campus community safe. We appreciate that you have your own logistics to sort out, and we will continue to let you know about new developments as soon as possible. In addition, you'll find the latest announcements on our Response to Coronavirus website.

Thank you all for your flexibility as we continue to prioritize the health and safety of the Drexel community. We wish you a happy, healthy and restful break.

All the best,

Marla J. Gold
Chief Wellness Officer
Senior Vice Provost for Community Health

Paul E. Jensen
Executive Vice President, Nina Henderson Provost, and University Professor

Megan Weyler
Senior Vice President
Chief Human Resources Officer