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SOU to require COVID-19 booster shots By Kevin Opsahl Updated: Dec 28, 2021 04:10 PM A A FILE - In this Sept. 14, 2021, file photo, a syringe is prepared with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic at the Reading Area Community College in Reading, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) The Ashland institution made the decision following ‘the science and the advice of public health officials’ Much like several higher education institutions have already decided, Southern Oregon University will require members of the campus community to get a coronavirus booster shot as soon as they are eligible. The announcement was sent internally Tuesday via President Linda Schott’s office ahead of the winter term, which begins Jan. 3 with in-person instruction. “As we have done throughout the pandemic, we will follow the science and the advice of public health officials and will require that all students, faculty and staff remain fully vaccinated. This means receiving a COVID-19 booster as soon as you are eligible,” said the message, sent to the Mail Tribune by a marketing official. It was only last week that SOU had told the newspaper it felt comfortable not requiring boosters, which right now are only a “recommendation” according to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency’s website still defines “fully vaccinated” as when a person is two weeks out from their second Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, or a single-dose vaccine, such as the J&J/Janssen vaccine. But top health officials, including CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, have said the definition is being reconsidered, while stressing the importance of fully vaccinated people getting boosters. Nicolle Aleman, SOU’s director of marketing, told the Mail Tribune that the university is “still figuring out the logistics and will communicate more once those are decided on.” She also offered up a statement from Janet Fratella, vice president of university advancement and executive director of the SOU Foundation, which echoed some of the same points as the president. “The best guidance from local, state and national public health experts is that the COVID-19 vaccines are the most powerful tool for protecting health and reducing serious illness,” Fratella said. “Recent scientific data supports the effectiveness of booster shots in furthering our collective safety.” She touted the high vaccination rates among students and employees and trusts they are committed to “our shared safety.” Fratella also recognized, however, that many students attending SOU may not be eligible for a booster for several more months. SOU’s announcement on boosters came on the same day Oregon State University made the shot a requirement for everyone on campus when they return from winter break. On Dec. 20, University of Oregon became the first higher education institution in the state to require a booster upon eligibility. Reach reporter Kevin Opsahl at 541-776-4476 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @KevJourno.