ITHACA, N.Y. (WENY) Cornell University will require all students, faculty, and staff to have a COVID vaccine and booster, after more than a thousand students tested positive last week, just before winter break.

According to the university, students must get the booster by January 31st, or 30 days after ones becomes eligible.

Proof of a booster must be uploaded to a Cornell portal called "The Daily Check."

Anyone eligible for a booster may receive Moderna or Pfizer, regardless of which vaccine you initially received.

Currently, 97 percent of Cornell's on-campus population is considered fully vaccinated.

Provost Michael Kotlikoff, Vice President for Student and Campus Life Ryan Lombardi and Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Mary Opperman issued a statement...

"Thank you for your collective efforts adjusting to our Alert Level Red Status. We know this was an incredibly difficult end of the semester for students, especially with the abrupt change to finals. And we are incredibly appreciative of faculty and staff working around the clock supporting students in county-mandated isolation. Our campus community continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience during this long and frustrating pandemic."