To: The Wellesley College Community
From: President Paula A. Johnson
Re: Vaccination Protocol for Fall 2021
Date: May 5, 2021
In March, I shared an update on plans for the full return of students to campus for the fall semester, including fully in person-teaching and normal occupancy in residence halls and dining facilities. Today, I am writing to share that all students will need to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 before arriving on campus for the fall of 2021. As with other vaccine requirements in place for students, medical and religious exemptions will be considered.
As public health data has shown, COVID-19 vaccines are extremely effective at significantly reducing the spread of the disease and, critically, of lessening the possibility of acute illness and hospitalization for those who contract it. The key to successful repopulation of our campus this fall will be the vaccination of nearly everyone in our community. The herd immunity that vaccines will help us reach is a vital component of our plan for a safe return to a more normal campus life.
To be fully vaccinated, individuals must have received all required vaccine doses and two weeks must have passed since the final vaccination. Accepted vaccines are those authorized for use by the FDA and/or the WHO (currently, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Janssen (Johnson & Johnson), and AstraZeneca). The CDC has issued interim vaccination guidance*, and we expect additional federal guidance regarding vaccines this summer.
We understand that many of our international students may be vaccinated in their home countries with vaccines that have not yet been approved for use within the United States or by the WHO. We are assessing how to treat these vaccinations and will update our community as soon as we are able, based on CDC guidelines. It is possible that international students who have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series over the summer with a vaccine that is not authorized for use by the FDA or the WHO may be offered an FDA-authorized vaccine series upon arrival by Health Services, provided by Newton-Wellesley Collegiate Health.
For now, we are strongly encouraging all faculty and staff to be vaccinated as soon as you have the opportunity. We request that faculty, staff, and students inform the College when they have been fully vaccinated via the form available in the Spring Toolbox. Students will need to provide proof of vaccination to Health Services. Please upload proof to the Patient Gateway once you have completed the series. If you need assistance uploading or creating a Gateway account please call Health Services during business hours (781.283.2810).
As we shared recently, CVS Pharmacy will be hosting a first-dose vaccine clinic at Wellesley later this week. All faculty, staff, and on-campus students can sign up for vaccinations on Friday, May 7, Saturday, May 8, or Sunday, May 9. This will be followed up by a second-dose clinic at the end of the month.
IMPORTANT NOTE: All vaccine appointments for Friday need to be made through CVS Pharmacy by 8 a.m. on Thursday, May 6, 24 hours before the start of Friday’s clinic, and similarly, appointments must be made 24 hours in advance of each subsequent day of the clinic (e.g., by 8 a.m. on Friday for Saturday appointments and by 8 a.m. on Saturday for Sunday appointments).
We are also working with Mass General Brigham (MGB) to facilitate vaccination for off-campus students living in Massachusetts. MGB is also willing to facilitate vaccination for Wellesley faculty and staff.
Starting May 10, the state will begin relaxing some of its capacity restrictions for certain industries and activities. For the time being, however, on-campus capacity limits and mask requirements will remain unchanged at Wellesley.
I want to thank the many members of our community—students, faculty, and staff—who have demonstrated care for each other in countless ways, and have shown a remarkable commitment to keeping our campus healthy and safe throughout this pandemic. Our successful response to this unprecedented moment is a direct result of your resolve. Safely repopulating our campus this fall will require another collective effort—including widespread vaccination. Thank you for your participation in this important public health effort.
*Updated link to a more specific resource on 5/20/21.
