Miami students and staff are no longer required to have the COVID-19 vaccination.

In an email to students and employees, the university’s COVID Response Team said that while the vaccine was “recommended,” the university no longer requires a COVID-19 vaccination as of Feb. 27.

“Our vaccination policy helped us achieve a level of immunity that allowed us to keep our university open and functioning during the pandemic,” the university COVID Response Team announced. “Over time, we have seen that the vaccine remains effective at reducing the severity of symptoms associated with COVID-19, but does not always prevent the spread of new variants of the virus.

‘We continue to recommend that all members of our community receive the COVID-19 vaccine and boosters if they are able as a way to reduce the severity of COVID-19 symptoms,” the email said.

According to Miami Student Health Services, Miami students are still required to get other vaccinations including Tdap, hepatitis B, varicella, polio, MMR, and meningococcal conjugate.