EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State University will require all students, faculty and staff to receive COVID-19 boosters, university President Samuel Stanley wrote in a letter to the campus community on Friday.
"As many of you know, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month strengthened its COVID-19 vaccine recommendations and is now strongly recommending that everyone 16 and older receive a booster shot," Stanley wrote. "This guidance, coupled with the fact that the Omicron variant has been found in Michigan and is likely at MSU, has led me to this decision."
Those who do not receive boosters when they are eligible "will be considered noncompliant with MSU’s vaccine directives," he wrote, though he added that the requirement will not apply to those with religious or medical exemptions.
"CDC data suggests COVID-19 boosters help and strengthen the protection against Omicron and other variants and will be essential for continued in-person learning and operations," Stanley wrote. "We know our COVID-19 directives are working to mitigate the spread of the virus, and this is an important next step."