Searchable FAQ

It is recommended that you receive one dose of Pfizer or Moderna 6 months after your primary series. Pfizer is recommended by the CDC for this scenario. We will accept a Moderna booster.

You can schedule an appointment with Tufts at https://www.tuftsmcvaccine.org/ or you can schedule an appointment at in the community using https://vaxfinder.mass.gov.

If you received two Sinovac or Sinopharm vaccines and already received ONE dose of Pfizer or Moderna, you are considered already boosted and do not need to do anything further.

If you only received two doses of Sinovac or Sinopharm vaccines, the CDC recommends waiting 6 months after the primary series of vaccines. Pfizer is recommended by the CDC for this scenario. We will accept a Moderna booster.

No, only those individuals that have already received an approved medical or religious exemption for the COVID-19 vaccine are exempt from the booster requirement. No other or additional exemptions for the booster will be granted. Students with questions about medical exemptions, contact healthservices [at] emerson.edu.

Yes, please upload documentation of your COVID-19 vaccine AND enter the date of your booster as soon as possible. The Center for Health and Wellness will review all documentation. Please allow several days for CHW staff to review your uploaded information. 

• If it has been 6 months since your last dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, you are eligible for a Pfizer or Moderna booster (eligible at age 16 if primary series was Pfizer. Eligible at age 18 if primary series was Moderna or J&J)
• If it has been 2 months since your last Johnson and Johnson vaccine, you are eligible for another Johnson and Johnson, Moderna or Pfizer vaccine. 
• If you received two doses of Sinovac or Sinopharm vaccines, the CDC recommends waiting 6 months to receive the booster.  The CDC recommends that you get Pfizer over Moderna.

If you received two doses of Sinovac or Sinopharm vaccine and already received at least ONE dose of Pfizer or Moderna, you are considered already boosted.  You do not need to take further action at this time.

With guidance from CDC, Tuft Medical Center and Massachusetts Department of Public Health,  the College is requiring the COVID-19 booster to help keep our community safe, healthy and as in-person learning as possible. We are preparing to keep the community safe from the Omicron variant. Current medical data suggests that the Omicron variant is unfortunately more contagious than previous COVID variants at infecting people who have been vaccinated or had COVID before. The booster shot offers additional protection from both infection and severe COVID symptoms in breakthrough cases.

You are considered fully vaccinated 14 days after the second dose of a two-dose vaccine (Pfizer, Moderna) or 14 days after receiving a single dose (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine.

The CDC recommends that the best COVID-19 vaccine is the first one available to you. Specific information about each of the approved vaccines is available on the CDC website.

The following websites provide information on the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine:

• COVID-19 Vaccine Information for Specific Groups – CDC
• Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines – CDC
• Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines – World Health Organization
• Vaccine Safety – U.S. Department of Health and Human Services