Vaccine Exemption Changes

Dear WWU Community,

I would prefer not to be sending you more messages on COVID-19, but our actions are being continually informed by the recent increases in COVID-19 cases due to the highly contagious Delta variant. 

As you may know, Gov. Inslee’s new vaccine mandate for state employees and healthcare workers was announced last week and while it did not include higher education institutions, we are changing our vaccination requirements to follow this mandate.  What this means is that we will limit exemptions to only medical and religious reasons.  Details on those changes will be shared soon on the university’s coronavirus information website.  

Recently we have been encouraged by the fact that 70% of employees have let Human Resources know that they are fully vaccinated, and more than 9,000 students have completed their vaccination attestation.  Vaccination rates will be a significant factor in ongoing decisions, including our recent indoor mask mandate and other health measures, so please get vaccinated if you haven’t already, and attest to your vaccination status. 

To attest to your vaccination status, please take a picture of your vaccination card once you have gotten both doses of either Pfizer or Moderna, or the single shot of J&J.  Students can click this link to submit vaccine information and employees can submit their vaccine information using this form.  Getting your card submitted now means one less thing to do for fall!

The vaccines provide strong, proven protection from serious illness and hospitalizations.  They can also reduce the risk that more new strains of COVID-19 will develop, spurring new surges and hence more restrictive measures like we’re seeing now.  Thank you for taking care of yourselves and those around you.

Sincerely,

Sabah