The CDC recommends that everyone age 12 years and older should get a COVID-19 vaccination as soon as possible. Faculty, staff and students are strongly encouraged to take the COVID-19 vaccine as the best way to protect themselves, their families, and members of the College community.

Below is information on where to obtain a vaccine.

New Jersey: https://covidvaccine.nj.gov/
Twitter: @NjVaccineFinder and @nj_vaccine.
NJ Vaccine Call Center: (855) 568-0545 (8:00 AM to 8:00 PM seven days a week).

New York City: https://nyc.gov/vaccinelocations

New York State: https://am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/
NY vaccine eligibility: 1-833-697-4829.
Once you have successfully scheduled an appointment, you will receive a confirmation email that contains a barcode. You will need to bring this to your appointment.

Studies have shown that vaccines currently authorized for use in the United States are highly effective at preventing COVID-19. COVID-19 vaccination is an important step in stopping the pandemic, protects individuals who are vaccinated from getting sick or severely ill with COVID-19, and may also protect others around them. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends you get a COVID-19 vaccine.

According to the CDC, the authorized vaccines are safe and effective, and studies have shown they prevent severe illness and death from the virus. For more information, see the CDC website. Please speak to your health care provider for guidance.

The CDC does not know how long protection lasts for those who are vaccinated. Experts are working to learn more about both natural immunity and vaccine-induced immunity. CDC will continue to keep the public informed as new evidence becomes available.

Masks or cloth face coverings are required for all students, faculty, staff, and visitors while inside any campus building and on all College shuttles. Masks may be temporarily removed while eating or drinking. Associates may temporarily remove their masks while within the privacy of their own office and no other person is nearby.

The chart below designates the various updated protocols.

Students, faculty, staff, and visitors will continue to be required to complete the COVID-19 Health Questionnaire (https://berkeleycollege.edu/checkin) each time they come to campus. Respondents will be asked to complete the questions and a date-and time-stamped “cleared to enter” screen message must be provided to Public Safety before being allowed to enter the campus.

Associates will be granted up to four hours of excused time per shot that will not be charged against any other leave time the associate has earned or accrued (PTO or sick time). The up to four hours of excused time are applied to the day of the COVID-19 vaccine appointment. Staff should code their timesheets as worked; no special code is required for this time. Please notify your supervisor about your expected time out of the office/offline.

You should continue to cover your mouth and nose with a mask/facial covering when around others, avoid close contact with people who are sick, stay 6 feet away from others, avoid crowds, and wash your hands often.

Currently, three vaccines are authorized and recommended by the FDA to prevent COVID-19:

• Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
• Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine
• Johnson & Johnson's Janssen COVID-19 vaccine

There are other COVID-19 vaccines that are also in development.

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines require two shots to be effective. The timing between the shots depends on which vaccine you receive. For the Pfizer-BioNTech, 3 weeks (or 21 days) after your first shot and for the Moderna, 1 month (or 28 days) after your first shot, according to the CDC. The CDC recommends that you should get your second shot as close to the recommended 3-week or 1-month interval as possible and should not get the second dose earlier than the recommended interval.

Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine requires one shot to be effective.

FDA-authorized vaccines are covered as preventive services, so it will be available at no additional cost.

The COVID-19 vaccine should be free of charge, there should not be a direct cost to you. You should contact your medical plan provider for further details.

The COVID-19 vaccine is an option for the 2021/2022 Medical Premium Differential. This is a self-reported activity, so please update this activity in mycigna.com.

None of the FDA-authorized vaccines or COVID-19 vaccines currently in development in the United States contain the live virus that causes COVID-19. This means that a COVID-19 vaccine cannot make you sick with COVID-19.

The vaccine teaches our immune systems how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. Sometimes this process can cause side effects, such as fever.

It typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity (protection against the virus that causes COVID-19) after vaccination. It is possible a person could be infected with COVID-19 before or just after vaccination and get sick. This is because the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection.

According to the CDC, side effects are a sign that your body is building protection against the virus. The side effects from the COVID-19 vaccination may feel like the flu and might even affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days. Side effects may include injection site pain, fatigue, muscle aches, headache, and low-grade fever. Contact your healthcare provider if you see increased redness or tenderness where you received the injection or if your side effects worsen. If you have a severe allergic reaction, seek immediate medical attention and call 911.

COVID-19 vaccines will not cause you to test positive on COVID-19 viral tests.

Re-infection is possible. The vaccine should be offered to you regardless of whether you already had the COVID-19 infection. Associates with any questions about their recovery period, or with any concerns about receiving the vaccine after being infected with COVID-19, should contact their medical provider.

You should consult with your medical provider. The CDC advises that anyone currently infected with COVID-19 should wait to get vaccinated until after their illness has resolved and after they have met the criteria to discontinue isolation.

You may be hearing more about SARS-CoV-2 variants. Virus mutations are expected and researchers continue to study current vaccine efficacy against variants. The World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed using labels consisting of the Greek Alphabet (i.e., Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma, etc.) to classify variants. To learn more about the latest research, visit this CDC webpage, which delineates variants by three categories: Variant of Interest, Variant of Concern, and Variant of High Consequence. The Delta variant, which is currently the predominant strain across the U.S. due to increased transmissibility, is classified as a variant of concern. There are currently no known variants of high consequence.

New Jersey:

How to Register for Vaccination.

• Where, how, and when can I get vaccinated: https://covid19.nj.gov/faqs/nj-information/slowing-the-spread/where-how-and-when-can-i-get-vaccinated

What to Know About the COVID-19 Vaccine?

• How Do COVID-19 Vaccines Work: https://covid19.nj.gov/faqs/nj-information/slowing-the-spread/how-do-covid-19-vaccines-work
• Vaccine Trials and Safety Precautions: https://covid19.nj.gov/faqs/nj-information/testing-and-treatment/which-covid-19-vaccine-should-i-get-are-covid-19-vaccines-safe-and-effective-how-were-they-tested-and-approved

Additional Information on the COVID-19 New Jersey Info Hub.

• Is the COVID-19 vaccine free: https://covid19.nj.gov/faqs/nj-information/assistance-and-benefits/is-the-covid-19-vaccine-free-what-if-i-dont-have-insurance

New York City:

• Vaccine Requirements in New York City: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-vaccine-eligibility.page
• Vaccine Finder: https://vaccinefinder.nyc.gov/
• What to Know About the COVID-19 Vaccine? https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-vaccines.page
• Vaccine Command Center: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/coronavirus/vaccines/covid-19-vaccines.page

New York State:

• What You Need to Know: https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/what-you-need-know
• Find a New York State operated vaccination site and get vaccinated: https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/

What to Know About the COVID-19 Vaccine?

• What you Need to Know: https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/what-you-need-know
• Safety Measures: https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/safety-measures
• Frequently Asked Questions: https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/frequently-asked-questions-0

Each state has its own plan for deciding how vaccines are distributed. Please visit the following websites to check your vaccine eligibility and to schedule an appointment.

New Jersey: https://covidvaccine.nj.gov/

You can also find vaccine availability at various locations in New Jersey on twitter @NjVaccineFinder and @nj_vaccine.

New York City: https://nyc.gov/vaccinelocations

New York State: https://am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/

Please check the site frequently for updates on your state’s appointment availability.

Once you have successfully scheduled an appointment, you will receive a confirmation email that contains a barcode. You will need to bring this to your appointment.

The New Jersey Vaccine call center number is 855-568-0545, which is open from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM seven days a week.

It is not mandatory. Please speak to your healthcare provider for guidance.

Students in the School of Health Studies who will serve clinical rotations at private and public healthcare facilities must meet State of New Jersey guidelines and be vaccinated against COVID-19 by September 7, or be tested once or twice every week for the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that all COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the United States have been shown to be highly effective at preventing COVID-19. The CDC’s goal is for everyone to be able to easily get the COVID-19 vaccine as supplies becomes available. Please speak to your health care provider for guidance.

New Jersey: https://covid19.nj.gov/faqs/nj-information/slowing-the-spread/how-will-new-jersey-distribute-a-covid-19-vaccine-is-there-a-plan

New York: https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/phased-distribution-vaccine#phase-1a---phase-1b

If you live outside of NJ and NY, view your state’s department of health website for more information: https://www.cdc.gov/publichealthgateway/healthdirectories/healthdepartments.html

Information about state vaccine distribution plans is available online. Your doctor is the best person to ask if you can get your vaccine now.

New Jersey: https://covid19.nj.gov/faqs/nj-information/slowing-the-spread/how-will-new-jersey-distribute-a-covid-19-vaccine-is-there-a-plan

New York: https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/phased-distribution-vaccine#phase-1a---phase-1b

If you live outside of NJ and NY, view your state’s department of health website for more information: https://www.cdc.gov/publichealthgateway/healthdirectories/healthdepartments.html

You should continue to cover your mouth and nose with a mask/facial covering when around others, avoid close contact with people who are sick, stay 6 feet away from others, avoid crowds, and wash your hands often.

Currently, three vaccines are authorized and recommended by the FDA to prevent COVID-19:

• Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine

• Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine

• Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine

There are other COVID-19 vaccines also in development.

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines require two shots to be effective. The timing between the shots depends on which vaccine you receive. For the Pfizer-BioNTech, 3 weeks (or 21 days) after your first shot and for the Moderna, 1 month (or 28 days) after your first shot, according to the CDC. The CDC recommends that you should get your second shot as close to the recommended 3-week or 1-month interval as possible and should not get the second dose earlier than the recommended interval.

Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine requires one shot to be effective.

There is no cost to you for COVID-19 vaccines. Please speak to your health insurance provider for additional guidance.

None of the FDA-authorized vaccines or COVID-19 vaccines currently in development in the United States contain the live virus that causes COVID-19. This means that a COVID-19 vaccine cannot make you sick with COVID-19.

The vaccine teaches our immune systems how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. Sometimes this process can cause side effects, such as fever.

It typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity (protection against the virus that causes COVID-19) after vaccination.

It is possible a person could be infected with COVID-19 before or just after vaccination and get sick. This is because the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection.

According to the CDC, side effects are a sign that your body is building protection against the virus. The side effects from the COVID-19 vaccination may feel like the flu and might even affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days. Side effects may include injection site pain, fatigue, muscle aches, headache, and low-grade fever. Contact your healthcare provider if you see increased redness or tenderness where you received the injection or if your side effects worsen. If you have a severe allergic reaction, seek immediate medical attention and call 911.

According to the CDC, COVID-19 vaccines will not cause you to test positive on COVID-19 viral tests.

Yes. You are required to wear a mask at all Berkeley College campuses, even if you have received the vaccine. The CDC recommends that during the pandemic you continue to wear a mask/facial covering that covers your nose and mouth. You should also continue to follow all other safety protocols.

According to the CDC, re-infection is possible. The vaccine should be offered to you regardless of whether you already had the COVID-19 infection. Students with any questions about their recovery period, or with any concerns about receiving the vaccine after being infected with COVID-19, should contact their medical provider.

You should consult with your medical provider. The CDC recommends that anyone currently infected with COVID-19 should wait to get vaccinated until after their illness has resolved and after they have met the criteria to discontinue isolation.