COVID vaccines at UCLA

The University of California has issued a systemwide COVID-19 vaccination policy (PDF) that requires all UC students, faculty, staff, academic appointees, postdoctoral researchers and trainees, as well as anyone accessing UC facilities or in-person UC programs, to be fully vaccinated (and up to date on booster shots) — with limited medical exemptions and accommodations based on disabilities or religious beliefs, as well as deferrals for those who are pregnant.

You are considered fully vaccinated when:

• 14 days have passed since you received a single-dose vaccine or the second dose of a two-dose vaccine.

You are considered up to date on vaccines when:

• You have received a vaccine booster shot once you are eligible (as defined by the CDC).

You are currently eligible for a booster if five months have passed since you received the second dose of a Pfizer–BioNTech, Moderna or other WHO-approved vaccine, or two months have passed since you received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

For details on the policy and answers to frequently asked questions, please see:

• FAQs for students
• FAQs for employees

If you chose not to be vaccinated and boosted and do not receive an approved exception or deferral, you will not meet the requirements for physical access to UCLA facilities, programs or events. While you can expect to receive several reminders of the steps you must take to come into compliance, if, after your final notice, you remain noncompliant, you may be subject to discipline, up to and including dismissal from employment.

Those with questions not covered in the above FAQs may send them to covid19@ucla.edu.

To be in compliance with the University of California’s vaccination policy (PDF), members of the Bruin community who are living, learning or working on campus must be vaccinated and, once they are eligible, must receive a booster shot, with limited exceptions.

Note: If you have tested positive for COVID-19, you can still receive a booster once your symptoms have cleared and/or you have been released from isolation — there is no need to wait 90 days.

At UCLA: Faculty and staff

UCLA faculty and staff can schedule a vaccination through UCLA Occupational Health Services by calling 310-825-6771.

Employees who are UCLA Health patients also have the option of booking an appointment through myUCLAhealth. (If you don’t have an account, view instructions on how to sign up. If you are unable to login or need help creating an account, contact the myUCLAhealth support line at 855-364-7052.)

Appointments are estimated to last about 30 minutes. You will need to be observed for 15 minutes after your vaccination or booster.

At UCLA: Students

The Ashe Student Health & Wellness Center offers mRNA vaccines and boosters to students; information on how to schedule an appointment is available through the Ashe Center’s COVID-19 vaccine hub for UCLA students.

Outside of UCLA

An additional and perhaps faster option for employees and students may be to schedule a vaccination appointment through the California MyTurn portal, through Los Angeles County or through a local pharmacy.

In addition, UCLA employees and students who live in Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County and Ventura County can continue to check their local public health department for vaccine availability. Residents of the city of Los Angeles can also book appointments through carbonhealth.com.

Students and employees who are not currently residing in California should check their local health department or visit the Vaccine Finder website to schedule a vaccination.

International students

International students are encouraged to get vaccinated at the earliest possible opportunity in their home countries.

Only vaccines that have been granted emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or the World Health Organization meet the university’s vaccine requirement. You can follow the status of vaccines through the WHO EUL/PQ evaluation process.

UCLA faculty, staff, students and others living, working and learning on campus or other UCLA properties need to verify their vaccinations and boosters with UCLA.

Note on boosters: For winter quarter 2022, students and employees who have been eligible for a booster for a month or more should upload proof that they have received one by Monday, Jan. 31; employees will have until Monday, Feb. 7. All students and employees will have 30 days to receive a booster and submit their proof once they become eligible.

• Enrolled students 
  Students can submit proof by logging into the Arthur Ashe Student Health & Wellness Center’s electronic patient portal and clicking on the Medical Clearance section. More information on the verification process and a link to the portal are available on the Ashe Center website. You can privately check your status using the COVID-19 Clearance Portal, which can now also be accessed through the UCLA Mobile app, available on the App Store and the Google Play Store.
• Employees
  Staff and faculty can confirm their status through UCLA’s online Symptom Monitoring and Vaccination Verification System most easily by giving the university consent to check UCLA Health records and the California vaccination database. (As an additional option, you can upload an image of your CDC vaccination card or non–U.S. equivalent, or upload an official medical record from your health care provider.)
  
  If you gave consent to check records for your initial vaccination, the survey should automatically update your booster status. If you didn’t, you can give consent for your booster. If your records are not found, the system will provide instructions on how to proceed.
  
  Employees can privately check their status using the COVID-19 Clearance Portal; supervisors can use the portal to check the status of employees who report directly to them. (The UCLA Mobile app, which is available on the App Store and the Google Play Store, now includes access to the Symptom Monitoring System and the Clearance Portal.)

• UCLA Health employees and those in clinical settings
  UCLA Health personnel and those who work in clinical settings have been given information on how to upload their proof, which will be reviewed by UCLA Occupational Health Services. They should follow the timing and processes outlined in COVID-19 protocols for health care settings.
• Non-matriculating students
  UCLA Extension students, visiting students and those in executive education programs will receive guidance on how to verify their vaccination status through their program department.
• K–12 students
  Students age 5 and above who are eligible for vaccinations will receive information from the UCLA Lab School or the Geffen Academy at UCLA about notifying their program of their vaccination status.

Fully remote employees and those returning to campus

If you’re not coming to campus at any point during the term, you’ll need to update the Symptom Monitoring and Vaccination Verification System; indicate that you will be fully remote so that you’re not flagged for noncompliance with the vaccination policy. If you are fully remote but have already been vaccinated, you should upload proof of your vaccination when filling out the survey.

If you’ve been working remotely but are now returning to campus on a full-time or hybrid basis, you should likewise complete the Symptom Monitoring and Vaccination Verification System survey to indicate your new work status. You will need to upload proof of your vaccination status or request an exception.

Exception requests

In certain limited circumstances, students and employees may be granted a medical exception, an accommodation based on religious beliefs or disabilities, or a deferral based on pregnancy. If you received an initial vaccination but wish to apply for an exception to the booster due to changed circumstances, you may do so.

To request an exemption:

• Students
  Students, including student employees, may submit an exception request through the UCLA Immunization Requirements page.
• Employees
  Non-UCLA Health employees should use the Symptom Monitoring and Vaccination Verification System to submit a request. Please visit the UCLA Insurance and Risk Management’s How to Request a COVID-19 Vaccine Exception page for details and guidance before initiating the process.
  
  Additional information on exemptions, accommodations and deferrals is available on IRM’s COVID-19 Related Accommodation or Workplace Adjustment Information page.
• UCLA Health employees
  Information has been shared directly with UCLA Health personnel on how to submit exception requests.

International students and faculty who cannot obtain a COVID-19 vaccine that has been approved or granted emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or the World Health Organization are encouraged to plan ahead and schedule an appointment for a COVID vaccine upon arrival in the United States.

Some people may have already received a COVID-19 vaccine that is not currently authorized in the U.S. While data on the safety and efficacy of receiving an authorized vaccine after getting a non-authorized one are not available, in some circumstances people who completed or partially completed a vaccination series with a non-authorized vaccine may be offered revaccination with an FDA/WHO–authorized one.

The minimum interval between the last dose of a non–FDA/WHO-authorized vaccine and an FDA/WHO-authorized vaccine is 28 days.

Coming to campus

Students and faculty who have been unable to obtain an authorized vaccine in their home countries will still be allowed to come to campus, but they will be referred to a vaccine site to get vaccinated immediately.

Until they are fully vaccinated, they will be subject to the non-pharmaceutical interventions described in UC’s Appendix A: COVID-19 Prevention Strategies for unvaccinated individuals. Additional safety measures may be required, depending on the circumstances, by local health authorities.

COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters are free to all staff, faculty and students through UCLA.

If you receive a vaccine or booster somewhere other than UCLA, your insurance provider may be charged for the vaccine administration, but there should not be any out-of-pocket cost for you.

Students enrolled in the UC Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) who choose to receive a vaccine or booster outside of UCLA can contact the Ashe Student Health & Wellness Center for a referral, if necessary, to avoid any out-of-pocket costs.