COVID-19 Vaccine

Yes. Rutgers has updated its immunization policy (See Policy 10.3.14 COVID-19 Immunization Record Requirement for Students) to require all students to be fully vaccinated.

Rutgers students must upload their vaccination and booster (as soon as eligible to receive a booster) documentation on the Rutgers Student Immunization portal. A NetID and password are required. Medical or religious exemption requests may be submitted by enrolled students via a form on the Rutgers Student Immunization Portal. Exemption requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis; they are NOT automatically granted. Those who have received an exemption from vaccination are also excused from the booster requirement. Students who have recently tested positive may extend the booster deadline by 90 days from the date of their positive COVID test. The application process can be found here.

 

The vaccination requirement applies to anyone who will be enrolled in classes at Rutgers, even if the individual is also an employee of the university. If you are taking classes at Rutgers, other than in a fully online degree-granting program, you will need to provide documentation of COVID-19 vaccination.

Individuals participating in the Senior Citizen Audit Program and auditing on-campus or fully online classes must also upload proof of vaccination and booster if eligible. Requests for a medical or religious exemption to the vaccine requirement are evaluated on a case-by-case basis and are NOT automatically granted. For more information, contact senioraudit@rutgers.edu.

Enrolled students must upload their vaccination and booster documentation on the Rutgers Student Immunization portal. A valid NetID and password are required.

 

All newly admitted students for Fall 2022 must submit all required immunization documentation (including COVID-19 vaccination and booster) to the Rutgers Student Immunization Portal, by June 1, 2022. A valid NetID and password are required. Medical or religious exemption requests may be submitted by enrolled students via a form on the Rutgers Student Immunization Portal. Exemption requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis; they are NOT automatically granted.

Students accepted on or after June 1, 2022, must upload evidence of immunization as soon as the vaccination series is completed and no later than seven calendar days after their acceptance date. Students accepted on or after June 1, 2022, who wish to request a medical or religious exemption must submit their request no later than seven calendar days after their acceptance date.

Thank you for uploading your vaccination record. Students can check the status of their vaccination uploads by logging into the immunization portal and clicking on the Immunization tab. If you have already uploaded your immunization documentation, you will see the date of each immunization requirement, including the COVID-19 vaccine. Please make sure to enter in your COVID-19 vaccination dates AND upload your documentation.

Once all your records are verified by our health professionals, your status will be “Verified.” Until then, your status may be “Non-Compliant” (something is missing, not uploaded, or not yet reviewed) or “Compliant” (all requirements appear to have been met, but still need to be verified by our staff).

Click on “Review your Rutgers Immunization history here” to see the specifics. You’ll see what’s missing and what’s on file. Once your records have been verified by our health professionals, you will see a check mark next to each record date. A sample screenshot of this view is available by visiting this student health webpage.

Our staff is working hard to review an unprecedented number of vaccination records as quickly as possible and we appreciate your patience while we work through the uploads.

Rutgers students must upload their vaccination and booster documentation on the Rutgers Student Immunization portal. Booster documentation is required as soon as the student is eligible to receive a booster.

Medical or religious exemption requests may be submitted by enrolled students via a form on the Rutgers Student Immunization Portal. Exemption requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis; they are NOT automatically granted. Those who have received an exemption from vaccination are also excused from the booster requirement. Students who have recently tested positive may extend the booster deadline by 90 days from the date of their positive COVID test. The application process can be found here.

 

Students may request an exemption from the vaccination and booster requirements for medical or religious reasons. Students enrolled in fully online degree-granting programs (typically defined as having no access to on-campus facilities), as well as individuals participating in fully online or off-campus Continuing Education programs, will not need to provide proof of vaccination. Registering for classes that are fully remote (synchronous/asynchronous) is not the same as being enrolled in a fully online degree-granting program.

Enrolled students may request an exemption from the requirement that they submit proof of COVID-19 vaccination for medical or religious reasons.

Exemption requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis; they are NOT automatically granted. The exemption request form is available to enrolled students by accessing the Rutgers Student Immunization Portal. A valid student NetID and password are required to access the immunization portal.

Students requesting an exemption for religious reasons will be required to submit a written statement, signed by the student or signed by a parent or legal guardian if the student is a minor, explaining how immunization conflicts with the student’s religious beliefs. A religious exemption is not the same as a philosophical, moral, or conscientious exemption. Students requesting an exemption for medical reasons will be required to submit a statement from a doctor or advanced practice nurse explaining the medical contraindication and the time period for which the exemption is being requested. Medical exemptions are reviewed annually.

Please note: For those granted exemptions, on-campus participation is not guaranteed, and is dependent on the overall course of the pandemic, the rate and efficacy of vaccination, and the student’s academic program. Those granted exemptions from COVID-19 immunizations will be directed to the appropriate university department to develop an implementation plan which may include applying for feasible and applicable accommodations. Students granted exemptions will not be able to live in on-campus housing.

On-campus participation is not guaranteed and is dependent on the overall course of the pandemic, the rate and efficacy of vaccination, and the student’s academic program. Those granted exemptions from COVID-19 immunizations will be directed to the appropriate university department to develop an implementation plan which may include applying for feasible and applicable accommodations. Students granted exemptions will not be able to live in on-campus housing.

The CDC recommends full vaccination even if you have already had COVID-19 and Rutgers University has added immunization against COVID-19 to the list of required immunizations for students and all Covered Individuals.

Students who have recently tested positive may extend the booster requirement deadline by 90 days from the date of their positive COVID test. The application process can be found here.

A full-remote virtual option will only be available for those enrolled in our degree-granting online programs.

Unless you are enrolled in a fully online degree-granting program at Rutgers, you cannot be assured of a fully remote/virtual option. There will be several remote course offerings, but these will be offered for single courses rather than entire programs. It is important for students to understand that face-to-face, remote, and online course offerings will vary according to their course of study and confirmed through their course planning module.  Some courses may be offered in a hybrid fashion, a mix of online and face-to-face class meetings. As room occupancy restrictions relax per State guidelines, our instruction delivery models will also change.

Some academic units at Rutgers offer fully online degree-granting programs, and students are encouraged to pursue those opportunities if these align with their interests. Rutgers announced the addition of COVID-19 vaccination to our required immunizations five months ahead of the start of the Fall 2021 semester so students and their families would have the opportunity to gather information, consult with their doctors, and make their decisions about attendance before enrolling or paying tuition.

As stated in a university update issued May 28, 2021, for international students outside of the United States who cannot receive a U.S. FDA EUA-authorized vaccine (currently Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Janssen-J&J), and who have been vaccinated in their home country, Rutgers will now accept proof of vaccination by a World Health Organization (WHO) authorized vaccine (e.g., AstraZeneca, SinoPharm BIBP). The relevant vaccination records must be uploaded to the Rutgers Immunization Portal at rutgers.medicatconnect.com.

CDC guidance recommends that those who have received a non-FDA approved COVID-19 vaccine or a combination of a non-FDA and FDA approved vaccine, who are aged 18 or older and at least 6 months after last vaccination, should seek a booster dose of an mRNA vaccine.

For additional information for international students, read Rutgers Global’s COVID-19-related FAQ.

Rutgers will continue to offer U.S. FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines to international students upon arrival at no cost for those that have not yet been vaccinated with an U.S. FDA-authorized vaccine or a World Health Organization (WHO) authorized vaccine (e.g., AstraZeneca, SinoPharm BIBP).

Rutgers continues to closely monitor both the science of COVID-19 vaccination (including the effectiveness of WHO-authorized vaccines and the safety/effectiveness of boosting with an FDA-authorized vaccine), as well as COVID-19 rates regionally and globally. This information may inform future changes or updates of the Rutgers vaccination or re-vaccination policies.

CDC guidance recommends that those who have received a non-FDA approved COVID-19 vaccine or a combination of a non-FDA and FDA approved vaccine, who are aged 18 or older and at least 6 months after last vaccination, should seek a booster dose of an mRNA vaccine.

For additional information for international students, read Rutgers Global’s COVID-19-related FAQ.

The FDA has approved the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and continues to authorize other vaccines for emergency use in the United States; these vaccines also have been recommended for use by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

Since announcing a vaccination requirement for students in March 2021, Rutgers has stated that its position on vaccines is consistent with the legal authority supporting this policy, which has been thoroughly reviewed by our Office of General Counsel.

COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters are readily available at pharmacies, clinics, and physician offices.

There are many other vaccine locations throughout the State of New Jersey. See the State’s vaccine hub for a list of vaccine locations in New Jersey.

 

No. The State Department of Health has made clear that no one will have to pay for the vaccine. There is no out-of-pocket cost to get a COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of location. If you have health insurance your insurance company may be billed, but costs will not be passed on to you. See https://covid19.nj.gov/faqs/nj-information/assistance-and-benefits/is-the-covid-19-vaccine-free-what-if-i-dont-have-insurance for more information.

Yes, Rutgers is requiring all university employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, regardless of your unit at Rutgers or whether you work remotely. All employees were required to upload proof of full vaccination to the Rutgers Vaccination Portal by January 4, 2022.

Any employee seeking a religious exemption for the required Covid-19 vaccination, regardless of covered individual status, may access exemption request information under University Policy 60.1.35.

All employees, except those with previously approved exemptions, are also required to receive a vaccine booster. All employees who are eligible to receive a vaccine booster must do so and must upload proof to the Rutgers portal. Employees who have recently tested positive may extend the booster deadline by 90 days from the date of their positive COVID test. The application process can be found at https://rtr.ipo.rutgers.edu/vaccines/.

Vaccines and boosters are readily available at pharmacies, clinics, and physician offices.

Failure to provide proof of full vaccination and booster or receive a University-approved exemption, will result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

Yes. All Rutgers employees, including PTLs, Type 4 employees, and other part-time workers, are subject to the vaccination and booster mandates.

On September 9, 2021, President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 14042 requiring vaccination against COVID-19 for many employees of federal contractors and others. Subsequently, the Federal Worker Safety Task Force issued guidance clarifying the vaccination mandate, and it is now clear that Rutgers University must comply with the Executive Order because the university is both a federal contractor and, in many instances, a federal subcontractor. We hold hundreds of direct federal contracts and are involved through many relationships in countless subcontracts, which we anticipate will include vaccination requirements pursuant to the Executive Order. Additionally, vaccination will help protect the health and safety of all members of the university community and the people with whom they interact. Therefore, to ensure compliance with the Executive Order and Task Force guidance and to protect the health and safety of the university community, all Rutgers employees are required to be vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19.  Medical and religious exemptions are the only permissible exceptions.

Exemptions for medical and religious reasons are the only permissible exceptions. Any employee seeking a medical or religious exemption for the required COVID-19 vaccination, regardless of covered individual status, may access exemption request information under University Policy 60.1.35.

 

No, Covered Individuals, including health care and public safety personnel (see Policy 100.3.1), who received an exemption from COVID-19 vaccination from Rutgers, do not need to apply again.

Testing for Covered Individuals with waivers: Covered Individuals with medical or religious waivers must continue to test; however, once-weekly testing with self-administered rapid (antigen) tests is now required instead of twice-weekly PCR testing. Test results must be uploaded here.

Testing for individuals with waivers: Students and employees with medical or religious waivers who are not Covered Individuals must continue to test once per week, but now through self-administered rapid (antigen) tests instead of PCR testing, and must upload their results here.

Yes. Employees are considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19 two weeks after receiving the final dose of a vaccine approved or authorized for emergency use in the United States or a vaccine that has been listed for emergency use by the World Health Organization (WHO).  Those vaccines include those from Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and AstraZeneca, among others.

CDC guidance recommends that those who have received a non-FDA approved COVID-19 vaccine or a combination of a non-FDA and FDA approved vaccine, who are aged 18 or older and at least 6 months after last vaccination, should seek a booster of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

All employees, except those with previously approved medical or religious exemptions, are required to receive a vaccine booster and upload appropriate documentation as soon as they are eligible to receive a booster. Upload your booster record by logging into the COVID-19 Vaccination Portal with your NetId, selecting “I have already been vaccinated and would like to upload my results,” and submitting the new record as was done previously for your initial vaccination record.

Employees who have recently tested positive may extend the booster deadline by 90 days from the date of their positive COVID test. The application process can be found at https://rtr.ipo.rutgers.edu/vaccines/.

COVID-19 vaccination boosters are recommended by the CDC for all who are eligible.

A vaccine is a product that stimulates a person’s immune system to produce immunity to a specific disease, protecting the person from that disease. Vaccines work by training and preparing the body’s natural defenses—the immune system—to recognize and fight off the viruses and bacteria they target. If the body is exposed to those disease-causing germs later, the body is immediately ready to destroy them, preventing illness. Vaccines are also critical to the prevention and control of infectious-disease outbreaks to decrease mortality. Vaccines currently prevent millions of deaths every year from diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, and influenza.

Prevention of infection is key. Public health officials and medical experts believe vaccination is an important step in helping to prevent or lessen the effects of this illness and its potentially devastating consequences. COVID-19 (caused by SARS-CoV-2) can be a mild illness in some or lead to severe disease or even death in previously healthy people. Additionally, long-term complications of COVID-19 remain unknown. Many treatments and medications are being studied, but there is currently no cure.

Every vaccine must be authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before it is made available to the American public. Vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson have received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the FDA and are being deployed throughout the country.  The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been granted full approval by the FDA for specified age groups.

 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can issue an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) during a public health emergency to allow the use of unapproved medical products, or unapproved uses of approved medical products to diagnose, treat, or prevent serious or life-threatening diseases. For the FDA to issue an EUA, safety and efficacy must be demonstrated, and certain criteria must be met, including that there are no adequate, approved, and available alternatives.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for making sure that, just like any medications, any FDA-authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.

Please review CDC guidance regarding booster shot eligibility.

 

According to the CDC you can get a COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines at the same visit.

 

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend discussing with your physician whether you should get the vaccine.

If you are not feeling well, it is recommended that you wait until you are feeling better to get the vaccine. If you have scheduled an appointment to receive the vaccine and are not feeling well on the day of vaccination, it is best to reschedule your vaccine appointment. If you have symptoms and/or signs of respiratory infection, evaluation and testing as is appropriate from health care resources in your community is recommended.

The most common side effects are headache, cough, and muscle pain. These are more common after the second dose and are usually of short duration, lasting for less than 24 hours. There is also a potential for injection site reactions (redness, swelling, and pain, which are common and more severe after the second dose), as well as fatigue, chills, fever, nausea/vomiting, and diarrhea. These are common adverse reactions seen with other vaccines. There may be other reactions that are not currently known. If you experience common side effects from the vaccine it is still necessary to receive the second dose for the vaccine to be effective. If you have experienced a very severe allergic reaction in the past requiring emergency care, you should consult your primary care provider before receiving the vaccine.

If you experience an adverse reaction to the vaccine you should call your primary care physician. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration encourage the public to report possible side effects to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). The CDC is also implementing a new smartphone-based tool called v-safe to check in on people’s health after they receive a COVID-19 vaccine. When an individual receives the vaccine, a v-safe information sheet should be provided explaining how to enroll. Those who enroll in v-safe will receive text messages instructing how problems or adverse reactions after receipt of the vaccine can be reported. The most common side effects are headache, cough, and muscle pain. These are more common after the second dose and are usually of short duration, lasting less than 24 hours.

You should contact your primary care physician or other provider to discuss your concerns.