Kenyon highly recommends that all students receive the updated COVID-19 booster vaccinations for the 2024-2025 academic year. Although not required, vaccination is strongly encouraged, especially for those at higher risk of severe illness. These groups include those with underlying medical conditions or compromised immune systems.
The updated vaccines (2024–2025 Moderna or 2024–2025 Pfizer-BioNTech) offer protection from the most recent strains of the virus. While students are not classified as an at-risk group, staying up to date with vaccinations is an important step in maintaining campus health and safety. Kenyon College believes that the entire campus community is best positioned to remain healthy when all persons are immunized. These changes align with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) latest guidelines regarding the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines.
Students can schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments at Knox County Community Health or local pharmacies in Mount Vernon. We recommend calling ahead to confirm vaccine availability and to schedule an appointment; students should have their insurance card available at the time of the visit.
For students who are having symptoms of COVID-19 or other respiratory viruses, including fever, fatigue, body aches, cough and headache, the CDC updated guidelines no longer recommend five days of isolation. The new guidelines recommend:
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Staying away from others until symptoms are improving overall and there has been no fever for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.
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When returning to normal activities, take precautions for the next five days; this may include wearing masks when indoors.
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Continue to practice good hygiene by covering coughs and sneezes, washing or sanitizing hands often, and cleaning frequently touched surfaces.
If symptoms are concerning or are not resolving after 24 hours, students can call the Cox Health and Counseling Center at 740-427-5525 to make an appointment. Our providers may offer testing for COVID-19 or the flu in addition to assessment and evaluation of your illness. Students can also reach the Cox Center by emailing health@kenyon.edu for support and guidance.