The University of Notre Dame is requiring students to receive a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine shot in order to enroll in courses for the 2023-2024 academic year, including scholars who will be learning remotely.

"All students are required to be fully vaccinated or receive an exemption before arriving on campus for the 2022-23 academic year," the school states on a webpage about its student vaccination mandate. "Additionally, as an extension of the University’s existing COVID-19 vaccination requirement, the COVID-19 bivalent booster vaccine is required of all students - undergraduate, graduate, and professional, including students studying or performing research remotely and/or virtually - as a condition of enrollment for the 2023-24 academic year."

The private educational institution, which describes itself as being "defined by its Catholic character," says that students may seek medical or religious exemptions to its COVID-19 vaccination requirements.

"Exemptions are determined on a case-by-case basis, and in each case must be supported by specific documentation," the school states. "Returning students who received a religious exemption from the University's vaccination requirement will automatically receive exemptions for the 2022-23 academic year and the 2023-24 academic year," the university also indicates. "Students on campus attending programs that last fewer than 7 days are exempt from the requirement, though vaccination is still strongly recommended."

Mary Frances Myler, whose Twitter profile indicates that she is a post-graduate fellow with the school's Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government, tweeted an image of a message in which University Health Services Director Edward P. Junkins informed students about the bivalent booster mandate and said that those who had previously obtained a COVID-19 vaccination mandate exemption will also be exempt from the bivalent shot requirement.

\u201cAs of today, Notre Dame will require yet ANOTHER round of the vaccine for students. The pandemic ended, but the Covid Regime remains fully intact and detached from reality.\u201d

— Mary Frances Myler (@Mary Frances Myler) 1668474236

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky received a bivalent booster in September but later tested positive for COVID-19 in October. Walensky took a course of Paxlovid and then tested negative, but she then tested positive again later in October.

"Thank you to my family and CDC staff for support while I recovered from COVID-19. I am fortunate to have only had mild symptoms, which I credit to being up to date on my #COVID19 vaccines," Walensky said in a tweet posted to the @CDCDirector Twitter account earlier this month. "COVID-19 vaccines may not prevent every infection, but they do provide us important protection against severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19. My updated #COVID19 vaccine helped ensure my immune system was equipped to protect me against severe illness," she tweeted.

\u201cCOVID-19 vaccines may not prevent every infection, but they do provide us important protection against severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19. My updated #COVID19 vaccine helped ensure my immune system was equipped to protect me against severe illness.\u201d

— Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH (@Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH) 1667918175