Urgent update: Federal mandate for COVID vaccine stayed

Dear University Employees,

As you all know, we announced in November that MUSC would follow the federal mandate for vaccinating all MUSC employees who were defined as “covered” under a federal contract. Many of you were notified that you must be vaccinated or be approved for an exemption. On December 7, a federal judge put a hold on the enforcement of the vaccine mandate for covered employees under federal contracts nationwide. As a result of this action, the vaccine mandate for covered employees under federal contracts at MUSC has been put on hold until further notice. We will keep you apprised of any changes as this issue progresses through the courts. 

Vaccinations remain a vital strategy in reducing the spread of COVID-19 and its variants. While MUSC no longer requires the vaccine at this time, we encourage anyone who is between doses or unvaccinated to follow through with the vaccine for their own health and safety as well as the safety of our community. Vaccine requirements and policies for MUSC Health employees and students with clinical rotations remain in place.

The Omicron variant has been dominating the news and there is still much to learn. Currently, there is no evidence that the Omicron variant causes more severe disease or that it evades current vaccines. There is some early evidence that it is as transmissible, and maybe more transmissible, than the Delta variant. It has been identified in and least 20 countries so far, including the US (no known cases in South Carolina). Our MUSC teams are closely monitoring this variant. Currently, our COVID-19 preparation and guidance remain the same. Learn more about the Omicron variant on the CDC website.   

Lisa K. Saladin, PT, PhD, FAPTA
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

Rick Anderson
Executive Vice President for Finance and Operations, MUSC