Students, staff and faculty at Western University will now have until the new year to submit proof they've received three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The university has announced it is pushing back its booster shot deadline until January 9, 2023. The reason for the deadline change is to allow those who want to be on campus to get the newly approved Omicron-specific vaccine.
"Members of our community will have the option to get a booster shot of one of the new bivalent vaccines once they become available, or getting boosted now with a current vaccine in order to be eligible again in 90 days for a bivalent vaccine," the university stated in an email to students late Tuesday.
Health Canada approved Moderna’s updated bivalent vaccine on September 1. It provides better protection against both the original strain of COVID-19 and the BA.1 subvariant. It was also found to generate a good immune response against the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, the national health agency said. The Moderna bivalent vaccine booster will be available to adults 18 and older early this fall.
Following Health Canada's approval of the new booster, Western consulted with experts in the areas of infectious disease, epidemiology, family medicine and members of the Western community before updating its vaccine policy.
"Western has made and will continue to make decisions based on the best available data, science and advice from experts,” said Florentine Strzelczyk, the university's provost and vice-president academic. “This booster deadline extension reflects the new Health Canada information and is supported by our experts. It also responds to the call from our student leaders to provide more time for students in residence to be vaccinated.”
Western had originally given students, staff, and faculty until October 1 to submit proof of vaccination. Under its current policy on masking and vaccination, those on campus have to have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and one booster shot. Masks must also be worn in instructional spaces. While the policy, which was announced two weeks before classes started, has received pushback from some students and anti-restriction activists, Western has said it will safeguard the health of the campus community and provide the best in-person learning experience for the school year.
"We want to thank the campus community for their ongoing support and diligence as we adapt to the changing dynamics of the impact of COVID-19,” said Strzelczyk. “We also want to thank those who have already been boosted – you are protecting yourself and our community.”