Emory University to require vaccinations for faculty, staff for fall semester

ATLANTA — Emory University president has announced that all school faculty and staff will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 for the fall semester.

President Gregory L. Fenves said that more than 85% of Emory faculty, staff, and students are currently fully vaccinated.

Emory students must also be vaccinated to return to in-person learning this fall, the school previously announced.

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“The COVID-19 vaccines—which Emory researchers played a role in developing and testing—have been highly effective and are our strongest defense against the virus. Yet the pandemic is not over. With the spread of the Delta variant and rising COVID-19 cases in Georgia, we must remain committed to protecting the health of the Emory community, and it starts with getting vaccinated,” Fenves said.

Emory community members can sign up to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, free of charge, via Emory Forward.

For those that are in the process of being vaccinated, they must continue to take a weekly test until fully vaccinated (two weeks after your final dose). 

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Emory staff and faculty members can apply for a vaccination exemption based on medical contraindications or strong personal objections. All exemptions must be submitted no later than August 16. Community members who have an exemption will still be required to complete a COVID-19 screening test once a week. Screening tests can be scheduled online.

“We are continuing to monitor COVID-19 throughout our city and region, along with the latest CDC recommendations, and will adjust Emory’s policies—including mask wearing—as needed for the health of the community. As a reminder, all Emory community members are currently required to wear masks when inside campus buildings, except when eating or drinking. If future conditions warrant, we may also increase the frequency of testing and/or expand the range of people who will need to be tested depending on the public health situation,” Fenves said.

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