Miami University no longer requiring COVID-19 vaccines for students, employees

Miami University in October (Dispatch photo by Eric Albrecht)
Miami University in October (Dispatch photo by Eric Albrecht)

Miami University students and employees are no longer required to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

The university announced in a campuswide email Monday that it no longer has a vaccine policy effective immediately.

"Our vaccination policy helped us achieve a level of immunity that allowed us to keep our university open and functioning during the pandemic," the email read. "Over time, we have seen that the vaccine remains effective at reducing the severity of symptoms associated with COVID-19 but does not always prevent the spread of new variants of the virus."

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The email said that Miami continues to recommend that all members of our community receive a COVID-19 vaccine and boosters if they are able.

Miami University spokeswoman Alecia Lipton said the change applies to those on the Oxford campus and its regional campuses. Students transferring to Miami this summer and fall will not need to comply with a COVID-19 vaccination policy.

Lipton did not say why the university made this change.

The university said it will still collect COVID-19 vaccination information from students on a voluntary basis. Vaccines and boosters are available on campus through Student Health Services and Employee Health Services.

Ohio University stopped requiring the COVID-19 vaccination for employees and non-residential students in summer 2022. Ohio State University still requires the vaccine for all Buckeyes.

Sheridan Hendrix is a higher education reporter for The Columbus Dispatch. Sign up for her Mobile Newsroom newsletter here and Extra Credit, her education newsletter, here.

shendrix@dispatch.com

@sheridan120

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Miami University no longer requiring COVID-19 vaccines