Two Minnesota private colleges — Carleton and St. Olaf — announced this week they will require their students and employees to receive a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The two colleges in Northfield are the first higher-education institutions in the state to require boosters. Carleton will require all students and employees who are eligible for a booster to get one by Jan. 21, while St. Olaf has set a deadline of Feb. 1.
Campus leaders cited concerns about the new omicron variant of COVID-19 and waning vaccine efficacy.
"Our high vaccination rate has been a primary factor in keeping COVID-19 transmission low on campus this fall," St. Olaf's campus-reopening lead Enoch Blazis wrote in a message to the campus community. "But with the vaccines' effectiveness waning over time, and with new, more transmissible variants contributing to breakthrough cases, it's clear our community will need booster shots to prevent additional spread of the virus."
Most private colleges in the state are requiring their students and employees to be fully vaccinated this fall, as are the University of Minnesota's five campuses. The Minnesota State system is requiring employees at its 30 community colleges and seven universities to be vaccinated, but not students.
The University of Minnesota is sticking with its current requirement for all students, faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated, spokesman Jake Ricker said.
"We continue to encourage everyone to get fully vaccinated," Ricker said. "Our current requirements align with CDC guidance on full vaccination and we will continue to monitor that."
Minnesota's largest private college, the University of St. Thomas, also "has no plans to require a booster" as of now, spokeswoman Vineeta Sawkar said.
