Vaccine Deadline for All Rutgers Employees Remains in Effect
December 8, 2021
Colleagues,
On December 7, 2021, a U.S. District Court in Georgia temporarily halted enforcement of President Biden’s Executive Order 14042, which requires vaccination against COVID-19 for employees of federal contractors such as Rutgers.
The university will monitor the case and others like it. In the meantime, we will continue on our present course of requiring all faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccination is the best way the university can protect the health and safety of all its employees and members of the university community with whom university employees come into contact.
The current requirement for all Rutgers employees to obtain their final dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by January 4, 2022, remains unchanged.
For the purposes of this requirement, employees are considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19 two weeks after receiving the final dose of a vaccine approved or authorized for emergency use in the United States or a vaccine that has been listed for emergency use by the World Health Organization (WHO). Currently these vaccines are those from BioNTech/Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson/Janssen, and AstraZeneca. At the current time, booster shots (as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) are not required to be considered fully vaccinated.
Vaccines continue to be a critical tool that offers us the safest environment possible during the global pandemic. Vaccination against COVID-19 will help protect the health and safety of all members of the university community, including students, faculty, staff, patients, and visitors.
How to Upload Your Vaccination Information
For the more than 96 percent of Rutgers employees who have already uploaded their vaccine records, no further action is required. If you are one of the few remaining Rutgers employees who has not yet uploaded proof of vaccination, please take a few minutes and upload your documentation to https://rtr.ipo.rutgers.edu/vaccines. Uploading the documents is simple and easy. If you cannot locate your vaccination information, it may be retrieved through the New Jersey Department of Health at https://njiis.nj.gov/core/web/index.html#/requestImmunizationRecord.
Providing proof of full vaccination by January 4, 2022, is not optional. Failure to provide proof of full vaccination or receive a university-approved exemption by January 4, 2022, will result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination.
Vaccination Deadline
If you need to be vaccinated, please do so immediately. In order to meet the university’s January 4, 2022, deadline, those choosing to receive the Moderna vaccine must have received their first dose by December 7, 2021, to allow for administration of the required second dose on January 4, 2022. For BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine, you must receive the first dose by December 14, 2021, to allow for administration of the required second dose on January 4, 2022. For the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, you must receive that dose by January 4, 2022. Individuals choosing to receive a vaccine that has been listed for emergency use by WHO should assess the necessary timing to comply with the January 4, 2022, deadline.
Where to Get Vaccinated
Vaccines are widely and readily available at most healthcare providers, clinics, or local pharmacies. Rutgers University also offers free COVID-19 vaccines to eligible individuals at clinics in Camden, Newark, and Piscataway. No insurance card is required, and walk-ins are accepted.
Information on scheduling may be found at https://coronavirus.rutgers.edu/covid-19-vaccine.
Stay well,
Antonio M. Calcado
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer