CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The University of North Carolina at Charlotte will require any student or staff member who has not received a COVID-19 booster shot to be tested weekly for the coronavirus starting in January, the school announced Thursday.
Those without a booster shot, regardless of previous vaccinations, will need to adhere to the same re-entry and mitigation testing requirements for those who are considered unvaccinated.
The new requirement begins Jan. 4. Proof of COVID-19 booster shot administration can be submitted to the school immediately. Without that documentation, any student or staff member must be tested before returning to residence halls or classes. Beginning Jan. 15, those testing requirements reoccur weekly.
The school hosts on-campus booster shots and testing. Additional booster clinics are expected to be announced for January.
Demand is high for COVID-19 testing across Mecklenburg County and at-home COVID-19 test kits are hard to find.
Everyone 16 years of age or older, who has not had a COVID-19 vaccine in the past six months, is eligible for a third shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. For Moderna, you must be 18 years of age and also six months since your last vaccine in order to receive a third shot. For the Johnson & Johnson Jansseen booster, you must be 18 years of age and at least two months since your last vaccine to be eligible.
Students and staff who previously submitted proof of booster vaccination to the school do not need to resubmit documentation.
Similar requirements have been announced at other Charlotte colleges and universities.