Coronavirus
(COVID-19)
Information Center
This page provides a compilation of resources regarding the COVID-19 vaccine and information about Lehigh-related vaccination policies.
Widespread vaccination is critical for a safe and successful academic year and for supporting the health and safety of the Lehigh and South Bethlehem community. Lehigh requires students, faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated and boosted, with the exception of approved medical or religious exemptions. For the 2022-23 academic year, we are requiring that students be fully vaccinated and have received a booster, except for students who submit medical and religious exemptions; at this time, we do not anticipate requiring an additional booster for the 2022-23 academic year.
International students who cannot get boosted where they are located should schedule a booster as soon as they return to the United States. Send a secure message to the Health and Wellness Center through the Patient Portal and they will be able to log your individual situation and advise on any further questions about your vaccination/booster schedule.
The CDC offers more guidance on boosters, including eligibility, on the CDC website and Vaccines.gov provides location information for COVID vaccines and boosters.
Vaccine providers may not require you to show your vaccination card to get a booster or may be able to provide you with separate documentation that you received a booster. Check with your local vaccine provider for their processes and requirements.
For faculty and staff, there are other forms of vaccination proof that may also be used for employer documentation. Refer to this list provided by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA).
No. While an individual always has the option of sharing their vaccination status personally, the university will not share someone's vaccination status or personal information. Please also note that while widespread vaccination will provide for substantive protection from the virus, individuals may choose to wear masks or practice other health and safety protocols in various settings. For example, because someone is choosing to wear a mask (beyond any university requirements), complete the symptom checker, or complete other protocols is not necessarily indicative of their vaccination status. All members of the community are encouraged to treat one another with respect.
If you are experiencing COVID-like symptoms, whether you are unvaccinated or vaccinated--follow the established protocols, including contacting your medical provider to be tested, staying home and away from others to mitigate the risk of spreading the virus, and following any isolation protocols should you test positive for COVID.
Yes. The CDC says, “The federal government is providing the vaccine free of charge to all people living in the United States. Vaccination providers can be reimbursed for vaccine administration fees by the patient’s public or private insurance company or, for uninsured patients, by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Provider Relief Fund. No one can be denied a vaccine if they are unable to pay a vaccine administration fee.”
Regarding Lehigh’s student insurance, Wellfleet provides the following information: “Wellfleet will waive all out-of-pocket costs for the COVID-19 vaccine. Student members will not be responsible for co-pays, deductibles and co-insurance regardless of which FDA-approved vaccine they receive.”
The CDC outlines guidelines for vaccinated domestic and international travelers and the PA DOH current travel guidance page can be found here.
Refer to the PA DOH website for information about vaccine providers in your area.
Students, faculty and staff who have been fully vaccinated do not need to socially distance and do NOT need to quarantine if they have been identified as a close contact of a person with COVID-19, as long as they remain asymptomatic. However, the CDC and DOH may recommend that testing occur after exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. Check the PA DOH and CDC websites for the most updated guidance.
All individuals with symptoms (students, faculty, staff), even those fully vaccinated, must still complete diagnostic testing.
For the policies unvaccinated individuals must follow, please refer to the applicable FAQs under the headings for “Faculty/Staff Vaccine Requirement” and “Student Vaccine Requirement.”
The Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) has compiled safety information for COVID vaccines, including information for specific vaccines. The CDC also has information about adverse effects here. According to the CDC, adverse events that have been reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) are accepted, even if it is not clear the vaccine caused the problem. The CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and other federal agencies will continue to monitor the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.
Faculty or staff should not request information about students’ vaccination status. If a student volunteers such information, faculty must not ask about the reasons why a student is or is not vaccinated. The university will not share confidential health information.
Students should include information about their COVID vaccination when they complete their record of required vaccinations, including documentation of their full name, name of vaccine received, and the administration dates for all doses.
Students with individual questions about their personal situation should send the Health and Wellness Center a secure message through the Health Center Portal - this is preferable to email and will help facilitate a prompt response.
Faculty or staff should not request information about students’ vaccination status. If a student volunteers such information, faculty must not ask about the reasons why a student is or is not vaccinated. The university will not share confidential health information.
Any vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or under the WHO - Emergency Use Listing will satisfy this requirement.
Yes. As with our other required immunizations, students may request an exemption for medical or religious reasons.
Follow the directions for requesting an exemption as shared on the student health portal. New/Incoming students can find more information here.
Yes. Students should upload a copy of their COVID vaccination card on the Health and Wellness Center health portal, including documentation of their full name, the name of the vaccine received, and the administration date for both doses.
Undergraduate courses are being held in person except for a small number of cases in which remote instruction is accommodating students who cannot be on campus because of visa issues or medical accommodations. Some graduate programs are completely online and students enrolled in these programs who will never come to campus do not need to be vaccinated. Students who have COVID-related concerns or questions about accommodations should reach out to Disability Support Services.
We understand that some of our international students will already have been vaccinated with one of the many non-US-FDA-approved vaccines currently being used globally. Students must receive one of the vaccines authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or by the World Health Organization-Emergency Use Listing or request an exemption for medical or religious reasons. The list of approved vaccines may evolve and the current list will apply. More specific information for international students is available in these messages from OISS (scroll to the message that applies to you) and on the website FAQ for international students. For questions about the exemptions process or about your individual vaccination schedule and plan, please send a secure message through the Health and Wellness Center patient portal.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has a resource explaining emergency use authorization, or “EUA.” To receive an EUA, the vaccines were required to adhere to rigorous standards, testing and multiple trials. To explain the speed of vaccine development, the FDA says:
“In public health emergencies, such as a pandemic, the development process may be atypical. For example, as demonstrated by the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. government has coalesced government agencies, international counterparts, academia, nonprofit organizations and pharmaceutical companies to develop a coordinated strategy for prioritizing and speeding development of the most promising vaccines. In addition, the federal government has made investments in the necessary manufacturing capacity at its own risk, giving companies confidence that they can invest aggressively in development and allowing faster distribution of an eventual vaccine. However, efforts to speed vaccine development to address the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have not sacrificed scientific standards, integrity of the vaccine review process, or safety.”
Faculty with questions about medical exemptions or general information related to the process for submitting vaccination information should contact the Provost’s Office at provost@lehigh.edu and staff should contact Human Resources at inhro@lehigh.edu.
Any vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or under the WHO - Emergency Use Listing will satisfy this requirement.
Vaccination is the most effective way to protect our community and allow for a return to normal campus operations. Noncompliance with the vaccination requirement will result in employees not having access to campus facilities and will be addressed at the college and stem level as a violation of workplace and university policy.
In limited cases, students may receive a university-approved medical or religious exemption from the COVID vaccination requirement. As is the case for unvaccinated faculty and staff, unvaccinated students will be required to:
Students exempted from COVID vaccination will have access to campus facilities and services, including classrooms, housing and dining, with potential additional health and safety measures in place. If COVID infection rates or adverse campus conditions necessitate, additional mitigation protocols may be applied for unvaccinated students, including limiting their access to Lehigh residence halls or campus buildings or limiting their participation in in-person activities. This information is provided to students during the process of requesting an exemption.
For students who request a religious exemption, please review the university policy as outlined below.
For students requesting a religious exemption from the student COVID vaccination requirement, the following considerations apply:
● Social, political, and economic beliefs and philosophies, or personal preferences, do not constitute religious beliefs.
● Students requesting this exemption understand and agree that they are assuming all potential risks of non-vaccination, including the risk of death due to COVID. Please read information about the vaccine here and on the CDC website.
● Students with an approved exemption will be required to comply with the university’s COVID-19 surveillance testing program and other preventive measures including, but not limited to, masking, social distancing and isolation/quarantine protocols, as determined by the university.
● In the event of an outbreak on or near campus, all students who are not fully vaccinated with an FDA or WHO authorized vaccine, including those students with an approved exemption, may be temporarily excluded from all campus facilities and activities, for their protection, until the outbreak is determined to be over.
● None of the restrictions or limitations imposed by the university for the safety of students and other community members will entitle students to any reduction in tuition, housing or other fees.
Our success in returning to our vibrant on-campus experience will take the efforts of all of us, individually and collectively. We welcome your questions, ideas and suggestions.
