Duke University to employees: Get a booster shot or get fired

Any employee who does not provide proof of a booster shot or apply for an exemption within that timeframe will be placed on administrative leave. If employees do not get a booster shot within seven days of their leave, they will be fired.

Duke University's requirement is by far the most drastic measure taken by a local university to fight the spread of the latest omicron variant. Both North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are requiring tests for students returning for the spring semester, but vaccines and boosters are not required.

Duke's announcement comes as North Carolina reported its highest case positivity rate since the start of the pandemic. Nearly 22% of all tests administered Sunday in North Carolina came back positive, according to state Department of Health and Human Services data.

Duke students, faculty and staff who don't get their booster shots before returning for the spring semester will have opportunities to get vaccinated on campus in January, according to a statement released last week.

As of Dec. 20, more than 20,000 faculty and staff and nearly 4,000 students had already received their booster shots.

Duke is among a small number of private universities nationwide to announce such requirements, joining the likes of the University of Notre Dame, Cornell University, Brown University and Syracuse University.