Vaccine booster not required for University of Hawaii students, staff

University of Hawaii students, faculty and staff will not be required after all to get booster shots for COVID-19, UH President David Lassner announced Thursday.

The university since Jan. 3 has required full vaccination for students and employees across its 10 campuses statewide. During the height of the surge of the omicron variant in January, Lassner had said UH was considering requiring booster shots as well.

However, “after a number of discussions with our health and well-being working group, and our policy group, we have decided not to recommend implementation of a booster requirement at this time,” Lassner said during his president’s report at a UH Board of Regents meeting.

“This shift was driven by the rapid declines in cases and hospitalizations, as well as the practical challenges with implementing a firm booster requirement policy while the CDC guidance on which we rely continues to change” on issues such as when different segments of people become eligible for boosters, he said.

Gov. David Ige has said no boosters will be required for Hawaii’s Safe Travels program, “so I think we’re in good company on this position,” Lassner added.

However, the university still strongly encourages getting booster shots, Lassner said.

The requirement for full vaccination — two shots of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, or one shot of the Johnson &Johnson vaccine — will remain in place through at least this year’s summer and fall terms, Lassner said.

UH’s other pandemic safety rules remain in place for now. Masks are required indoors, including classrooms, offices and the common areas of student housing.

But “discussions are ongoing on the statewide level as to what mitigations may be relaxed, how much and when,” Lassner said.

Of UH’s 45,266 students statewide, 21,527 students are enrolled in in-person or hybrid instruction, and 99.9% of those students are fully vaccinated or exempted, according to the UH COVID-19 dashboard as of Thursday.

The vaccination numbers do not include students who are 100% online or taking early college courses delivered on high school campuses.

Of 9,326 UH employees, 96.4% are fully vaccinated or exempted, the dashboard said.