COVID-19 UPDATES AND PLANNING

Students and employees are no longer required to wear masks on campus. We recommend that all community members stay up to date on current masking guidance via the CDC website. Wearing a N95 or KN95 mask is proven to protect against COVID-19, even in instances of one-way masking.

No. However, Mercyhurst strongly recommends that all students taking courses on campus and all university employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, as well as receiving booster vaccines, once eligible. Individuals are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose of a two-dose series (e.g., Pfizer or Moderna) or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine (e.g., Johnson & Johnson)

• Individuals who are fully vaccinated generally do not have to quarantine after exposure to COVID-19 or participate in surveillance testing.
• Vaccines provide strong protection against severe side effects and hospitalization as a result of COVID-19, including being infected by the Omicron variant.
• Receiving an additional vaccine dose boosts existing immunity from the primary vaccine series.
• Vaccines are proven to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in congregate living facilities, including residence halls.
• Recent studies have shown that fully vaccinated individuals are far less likely to spread COVID-19, compared to those who are unvaccinated.

All residential students should make a plan to isolate or quarantine off campus. University-provided quarantine/isolation space is extremely limited, and will be assigned only to students who demonstrate an urgent need for such accommodations. Students who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are housed in designated isolation spaces will likely be placed with other students who have also tested positive. 

Quarantining or isolating at home is often the best, most comfortable, option for students. If factors prevent a student from returning home, there may be other relatives or friends who are able to offer those accommodations. University-provided facilities are limited, and will be assigned to students who demonstrate an emergent need for isolation or quarantine space. 

If you are deemed a close contact and are...

• Fully vaccinated and asymptomatic, you are not required to quarantine. 
• Not fully vaccinated, you must quarantine or isolate as directed. 
• Experiencing symptoms, regardless of vaccination status, you must be evaluated and may be required to quarantine or isolate.

In general, people are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a FDA EUA two-dose series, such as Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a FDA EUA single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine. If a person does not meet these requirements, regardless of age, that person is "not fully vaccinated". While booster vaccines are strongly encouraged, they are not required to be considered fully vaccinated. 

Isolation is for individuals who are positive for COVID-19. Quarantine is for individuals who have been exposed to COVID-19 and are unvaccinated, or are experiencing symptoms. 

All international travelers should follow CDC recommendations and requirements for travel. Travel during the 2021-22 academic year for university purposes, (e.g., conferences, student trips) may resume through normal departmental approval procedures. If travel is approved, the individuals representing MU on this trip must abide by the regulations for travelers entering the destination and upon return. These regulations vary greatly from one location to another but may require the visitor to quarantine for some period upon arrival or return. 

You can upload your COVID-19 vaccination documentation via our secure online form. You must enter all seven digits of your Mercyhurst ID number (including any leading zeros). That number can be found on your OneCard, in Self-Service, or your Admissions Portal if you are a new student.

Mercyhurst will accept any vaccine series that has been authorized by the FDA or those authorized by the World Health Organization for any student coming to campus from another country. The current list of approved vaccines consists of:

FDA

• Pfizer-BioNtech
• Moderna
• Janssen COVID-19 (Johnson & Johnson)

WHO

• Moderna
• Janssen–Cilag International (Johnson & Johnson)
• COMIRNATY- BioNtech Tozinarmeran 
• COVISHIELD – Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd.
• VAXZEVRIA – AstraZeneca/SK Biosciences Co. Ltd.
• AstraZeneca – Sweden/EU, Sweden/Japan, and Sweden/Australia Approved
• Sinopharm/BIBP - ChinaCoronaVac – Sinovac (China) 

Johns Hopkins University provides a Coronovirus Resource Center, which hosts helpful answers to the most common vaccination questions, a vaccine tracker, and the most recent news on COVID-19 vaccines. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) offer responses to Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 vaccines.