Last Updated: November 17, 2022
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have approved new bivalent versions of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. These booster vaccines target both the original strain of the coronavirus as well as the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, which are responsible for most of the current COVID-19 cases.
We strongly urge that all individuals who are eligible to receive this vital booster do so. According to the FDA, if you are eligible for an updated COVID-19 vaccine booster, the updated booster you receive does not need to be from the same manufacturer (Moderna, Pfizer, etc.) that made the vaccine you received for your primary vaccination or previous booster.
Individuals 12 years or older are eligible to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine bivalent booster if it has been at least two months since they completed their primary vaccination series or received their original booster. Individuals with a recent COVID-19 infection may consider delaying a primary series or booster dose, including the bivalent, by three months from the onset of symptoms or a positive test (if the infection was asymptomatic). If you are unsure whether you should receive the bivalent booster vaccine now or should wait, please consult your primary care provider.
TULANE-SPECIFIC FAQs
Vaccination Booster
All students, faculty, staff and contract employees will be required to receive a booster shot once they become eligible for one. Booster records must be uploaded to the Campus Health patient portal.
Yes. You may choose which COVID-19 vaccine you receive as a booster shot. Some people may prefer the vaccine type that they originally received, and others may prefer to get a different booster. The CDC’s recommendations now allow for this type of mix and match dosing for booster shots.
Similar to the regular shots, namely soreness or redness at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle aches and occasional fever and chills.
We don’t yet know the answer since we don’t know how a breakthrough infection compares to a booster vaccine. It may still be prudent to get a booster if you are in a group for which boosters are recommended.
The recommendation is to wait 90 days after receiving a COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatment before getting a COVID-19 vaccine shot
You can get the flu shot with, or at any time before or after, the COVID-19 booster.
For Students
If you have completed the full vaccine sequence through an entity outside of Tulane, please update your vaccination records through the Campus Health Patient Portal. If you have been vaccinated at the Tulane Vaccine Clinic, your record will be updated automatically.
Students who are unable to receive an FDA-authorized vaccines (for example, international students traveling from certain countries) prior to their arrival or return to campus for the fall semester will have the opportunity to consult with Campus Health staff about whether vaccination in Louisiana is appropriate. For those who may be directed to be vaccinated here, a grace period for vaccination will be allowed. If students have already received vaccines that are not authorized by the FDA, Campus Health will make individualized determinations about the need for additional vaccines based on which vaccines such students have received and relevant public health guidance. Questions about this can be directed to covidvaccine@tulane.edu.
For Faculty and Staff
For All Tulane Community Members
Students are required to receive a COVID-19 vaccine authorized by the FDA. Currently, there are three such vaccines and information about them is available on the FDA website.
This information may be used to determine your COVID-19 vaccination status and your suitability for certain university activities and for reporting and operational planning purposes. The university will store this information in accordance with its information security policy and will restrict access to a limited number of authorized personnel. In addition, Campus Health and other authorized personnel may use relevant portions of this information to ensure compliance with COVID-19 policies Tulane University has put in place to protect the health and safety of the campus community.
If you've been vaccinated, you must continue to follow university protocols on mask wearing, physical distancing and regular participation in the asymptomatic testing protocol. The only difference is that you may not need to quarantine if you were exposed to a positive case or recently traveled.
If you have completed the full vaccine sequence from an entity outside of Tulane, please update your vaccination records through the Campus Health Patient Portal. If you have been vaccinated at the Tulane Vaccine Clinic, your record will be updated automatically.
Yes. If you have already received both doses of your COVID-19 vaccine from an entity outside of Tulane, please submit documentation through the Campus Health patient portal to update your vaccination records. If you have been vaccinated at the Tulane Vaccine Clinic, your record will be updated automatically.
