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Georgia university will require COVID-19 vaccine for faculty and staff

The president said he was going to require the vaccine because of the increase in cases due to the delta variant.

ATLANTA — Emory University announced Tuesday that all faculty and staff must be vaccinated for COVID-19 ahead of the upcoming fall semester. 

In a letter, President Gregory L. Fenves said he was going to make the vaccine required due to the increase in cases due to the delta variant.

"The recent rise in COVID-19 cases is connected to a surge in transmission among unvaccinated individuals, and although the Emory vaccination percentages are high, we must do even better," Fenves said.

He said currently, more than 85% of Emory faculty, staff, and students are fully vaccinated. That's higher than the state average of 40%.

Staff and faculty members can apply for a vaccination exemption based on medical contraindications or strong personal objections, the school said. 

Emory's mask policy may also be updated, they said, ahead of the new semester, based on any CDC recommendations.

The CDC indicated that they may renew their mask recommendation as cases surge. 

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