Furman continues to follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) which has clearly articulated the recommendation and potential benefits for a booster injection to enhance COVID immunity 6 months after completing the initial Pfizer or Moderna series or 2 months after completing the J&J vaccination. While we recognize that there is a certain degree of natural immunity also conferred by an active infection, the recommendations are still clear regarding optimal protection both for the individual and for the larger community. Per CDC guidelines, an individual who is eligible for a booster, but who has not received this additional protection, is required to quarantine if exposed to a close contact (i.e., 5 day minimum, followed by a negative COVID test and additional 5 days wearing a mask at all times around others). In contrast, individuals who have received the booster are not required to quarantine, which reduces the risk of missing in-person classes, leaving campus, etc. due to an unforeseen exposure to another positive individual.

Individuals are eligible for the booster 6 months after completing the primary series of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine OR 2 months after completing the primary series of the J&J vaccine.

Please submit a copy of your vaccination card showing the booster to furmanstudenthealth@PrismaHealth.org. A simple photo of the card attached to an email will suffice.

Yes, you can email the Earle Student Health Center at furmanstudenthealth@PrismaHealth.orgto schedule an appointment to receive the Moderna booster.

Yes, students can email the Earle Student Health Center at furmanstudenthealth@PrismaHealth.org requesting a strong personal objection exemption to the booster. By requesting this exemption, the student acknowledges that they understand that if contact tracing identifies them as a close contact they will be required to quarantine off campus for a minimum of five days, get a negative test on day five and wear a mask for an additional five days (CDC recommendations).

Common practice is to wait until symptoms have fully resolved before receiving a booster, and we understand that some healthcare professionals suggest an additional 2-week period prior to receiving the vaccination. Furman is allowing students who have recently tested positive to wait a full 30 days before complying with the booster requirement to accommodate these concerns, provided a copy of the positive test has been submitted to the ESHC.

No, if you are vaccinated, but not yet eligible for the booster, you will not have to quarantine, unless symptomatic (which means you will get tested ASAP). You will be required to mask around others for 10 days, monitor for symptoms and get tested on day 5.

Yes, you will have to quarantine for five days. Then you will be tested on day 5. If the test result is negative, the Earle Student Health Center will release you from quarantine and you will be required to mask around others for 5 additional days and monitor for symptoms.

This is why getting the booster immediately is so important to your ability to participate in classes and campus activities this semester without disruption.

Yes, you will have to quarantine off campus for five days. Then you will be tested on day 5. If the test result is negative, the Earle Student Health Center will release you from quarantine and you will be required to mask around others for 5 additional days and monitor for symptoms.

No, you will not have to quarantine, unless symptomatic. You will be required to mask around others for 10 days, monitor for symptoms and get tested on day 5.

Yes, please send documentation of your positive test result to furmanstudenthealth@PrismaHealth.org.

On June 1, Furman announced that it will require proof of vaccination for all students. On December 30, Furman announced the COVID booster will be required for the return to campus in January 2022.

While there are no plans to require the COVID-19 vaccination for faculty and staff, employees are strongly encouraged to vaccinate as soon as possible.

Students, faculty and staff in South Carolina may use https://vaxlocator.dhec.sc.gov as a resource for scheduling an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced in May that individuals who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 may forgo wearing masks and physical distancing in most indoor and outdoor settings. In light of this guidance by the CDC, the American College Health Association (ACHA), South Carolina health officials, and our faculty epidemiologists, and considering the high rates of vaccination that will result from this requirement, we are confident that we will return to normal operations in the fall.

Employees are strongly encouraged to vaccinate as soon as possible. Our decision not to require the vaccine for employees is consistent with common standards of practice and consistent with our approach to all other immunizations (e.g., we do not require employees to vaccinate against common community-acquired infections). We have always, however, required students to submit their vaccination records. As a residential campus, students are in close proximity to one another in housing, dining facilities, athletics, and social activities. Additionally, Furman must provide support resources to students who get sick while they are away from home, unlike employees who remain off campus when ill and seek support in the external community.

Comprehensive scientific studies have provided clear evidence that the COVID-19 vaccines are both safe and highly effective at protecting against SARS-CoV-2 infection, disease severity and reducing transmission https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/effectiveness.html. Having a high rate of vaccination will allow us to resume normal operations in the fall. Furman allows for students with a medical contraindication, religious requirement or strong personal objection to seek an exemption to the vaccine requirement.

Yes, these data are available on the COVID Dashboard, which will be updated weekly.

The Moderna vaccine is available to students at the Earle Student Health Center.

Students, faculty and staff may use https://vaxlocator.dhec.sc.gov as a resource for scheduling an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine. Students in other geographic areas are encouraged to utilize their own state and local resources for vaccine access, as vaccines are now broadly available in all states. For example, see this state-by-state guide listing at https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-get-a-covid-19-vaccine-a-state-by-state-guide-11611703769.

Students who have received complete dose(s) of the COVID vaccination are required to submit their vaccination card by emailing a copy of it to furmanstudenthealth@prismahealth.org.

Students who completed a COVID-19 vaccination series with a vaccine that has been authorized for emergency use by the World Health Organization (WHO) or an FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine (e.g., Moderna, Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson) will comply with Furman’s immunization requirement.

If international students know they will be unable to get the vaccine in their home country and provide proof, they should email furmanstudenthealth@prismahealth.org with the subject line “International Student Vaccine Extension” and indicate that they will need to get the vaccine when they arrive on campus. All international students will be in low-to-no contact upon arrival to campus, tested for COVID-19 on the second day, and vaccinated (if necessary) after receiving a negative test result.

International students who have received a vaccine not WHO or FDA approved will be required to receive an FDA-approved vaccine upon arrival to campus to comply with the COVID-19 policy, but will not be required to quarantine if they have no symptoms.

Graduate students enrolled in courses for the Fall 2021 semester who plan to come to campus for any reason must comply with the vaccination requirement and follow the same instructions as undergraduate students.

Students may request an exemption from the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for one of the following reasons:

1. Medical Contraindication
2. Religious Beliefs
3. Strong Personal Objection

These students must submit Furman’s Immunization Exemption Request [PDF].

1. Unvaccinated students who are symptomatic for COVID-19 or a close contact of an individual who is symptomatic or positive for COVID-19, will be required to report exposures or symptoms to the Earle Student Health Center and subsequently quarantine or isolate.
2. Unvaccinated students who are exempt from the COVID-19 vaccination requirement as a result of a Strong Personal Objection will be responsible for covering all costs and expenses not covered by insurance, including but not limited to medical, travel, quarantine/isolation, testing, treatment, and other personal costs and expenses associated with COVID-19.
3. Unvaccinated students who are exempt from the COVID-19 vaccination requirement as a result of a Strong Personal Objection and who are subsequently required to quarantine or isolate must do so off campus. Furman will not provide quarantine and isolation space, or any services related to quarantine and isolation, including, but not limited to, meal deliveries or related medical support for unvaccinated students. This includes students living in a housing assignment that might be suitable for quarantine or isolation.
4. Unvaccinated students may be excluded from activities that require individuals to be vaccinated against COVID-19 (e.g., NCAA athletics, study away, internships).
5. Furman does not guarantee remote access to academic courses and/or any other offerings during quarantine or isolation for unvaccinated students who are exempt from the COVID-19 vaccination requirement as a result of a Strong Personal Objection.
6. Tuition, room and board charges will not be reduced for students (vaccinated or unvaccinated) who are required to quarantine/isolate off campus.

All faculty and staff must submit EITHER a copy of their completed COVID-19 vaccination card to humanresources@furman.edu OR submit a signed acknowledgement of Furman’s expectations for unvaccinated employees. As a reminder, this information will not be shared or stored as part of an employees’ personnel record.

1. Employees who have not submitted proof of being fully vaccinated to Human Resources are expected to continue to mask and distance indoors, and mask outdoors if physical distancing cannot be maintained.
2. Employees who have not submitted proof of being fully vaccinated to Human Resources who are symptomatic for COVID-19 or a close contact of an individual who is symptomatic or positive for COVID-19, will be required to report exposures or symptoms to Human Resources via the LiveSafe Health Survey and subsequently quarantine or isolate.
3. Employees will be responsible for covering all costs and expenses not covered by insurance, including but not limited to medical, travel, quarantine/isolation, testing, treatment, and other personal costs and expenses associated with COVID-19.
4. Sick leave or personal time must be used, as normal, for quarantine or isolation.