CORRECTION: A previous version of this article inncorrectly listed booster vaccine clinics being offered this month. The Oct. 11 and Oct. 26 booster vaccine clinics will be offered at Koury Residence Hall Seminar Wing and the Carmichael Maker Space. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for this error.
Mandatory COVID-19 testing for students who have not attested to vaccination will be reduced to once a week, according to a campus email from the Carolina Together Testing Program sent Wednesday.
Previous guidelines, which were in effect since Aug. 23, required students who had not attested to their vaccination to get tested twice per week.
According to the email, the decision follows reassuring trends in COVID-19 numbers.
Between Sept. 27 and Oct. 3, the asymptomatic COVID-19 positivity rate was 0.44 percent — down from 0.54 percent from the previous week, the email said. The symptomatic positivity rate is 2.5 percent, a 3.3 percent decrease from last week.
The Carolina Together Testing Program team said in the email that they continue to recommend that vaccinated individuals test no more than once a week. Students who have attested their vaccination remain exempt from mandatory weekly testing.
The email also said University employees who have not attested to being vaccinated started testing once per week, starting this week.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved COVID-19 booster vaccines for adults with underlying medical conditions and those living in high-risk settings. Students who have an underlying medical condition and/or are living in a residence hall — and who have received their second Pfizer vaccination at least six months ago — are eligible for a booster.
Booster vaccine clinics will occur on Oct. 11 and Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Koury Residence Hall Seminar Wing and the Carmichael Maker Space. The Carolina Vaccination Clinic within the Student Stores Pharmacy also offers booster vaccines, accepting walk-ins Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or online bookings.
