COVID-19 Vaccine Information

The UC Office of the President has issued its final policy regarding required COVID-19 vaccinations.

This policy requires all UCI students, staff and faculty, with few exceptions, to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before physically accessing the university’s locations and programs. Compliance is required no later than two weeks before faculty, staff and students are expected to be on campus for the fall term.

UC COVID-19 Vaccine Policy Employee FAQs Student FAQs

Students who do not comply with UC vaccination requirements, including the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, may be subject to disciplinary action or loss of campus privileges, including but not limited to loss of wifi privileges, restriction from campus resources, restriction of access to campus, and an academic registration hold restricting students from registering for classes. Disciplinary action can include probation, suspension, or dismissal from the university.

The fact that we have safe and highly protective vaccines should lead us all to want to be vaccinated. By preventing infection, COVID-19 vaccines prevent not only death, but also the problems that occur after infection. COVID-19 infection has been reported to cause long lasting problems related to fatigue, shortness of breath, cough, joint pain, chest pain, difficulty thinking and concentrating (“brain fog”), depression, muscle pain, headache, and intermittent fever. In addition, some people have reported problems with their heart, lung, kidney, skin, teeth, and nervous system after COVID infection. These complications of infection can be prevented by receiving the vaccine. 

To learn about the effectiveness and safety of the COVID-19 vaccines, see UCI Health's COVID-19 Vaccine FAQs (FAQs are also available in Spanish).

So far, clinical trials have shown that COVID-19 vaccines are highly protective and generate a strong immune response. Sometimes when vaccines produce an immune response, there may be side effects that feel like the flu, but do not mean you are infected or contagious. Instead, these symptoms are simply a sign that your body is successfully generating an immune response to provide you protection.

• Expect some symptoms after vaccination. All COVID-19 vaccines commonly cause mild-to-moderate non-infectious “flu-like” symptoms. This occurs commonly for one day, sometimes for two days, and less commonly for 3 or more days.
• Pick a good time
  • Get your vaccine when you do not have anything important planned in the next day or two, including work shifts. This is more important after the second dose since symptoms are more common after the second dose.
  • If you can, have staff who have highly specialized skill sets separate their vaccines by at least 3 days in case one needs to miss work for vaccine-related side effects.

Fact Sheet: Moderna Fact Sheet: Pfizer-BioNTech Fact Sheet: Janssen/J&J

You may be eligible for a temporary medical exemption (and, therefore, a temporary exception), for up to 90 days after your diagnosis. According to the US Food and Drug Administration, however, “a positive result from an antibody test does not mean you have a specific amount of immunity or protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection … Currently authorized SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests are not validated to evaluate specific immunity or protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection.” For this reason, individuals who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or had an antibody test are not permanently exempt from vaccination. 

Employees may refer to the UCI’s Future of Work COVID policy page to request a medical exemption, religious exception, disability exception or deferral during pregnancy.

This is a permanent policy. Infectious disease experts anticipate that annual or more frequent boosters will be necessary, and receipt of boosters will be required, consistent with product labeling, in the same way that the initial vaccination is required by this policy and subject to the same exceptions and deferrals.

All individuals on any UCI property including all UCI Health facilities are required to wear a mask or face covering while indoors, regardless of vaccination status, except when alone in an enclosed space. Upon request, UCI will provide voluntary-use respirators to unvaccinated or vaccinated employees.

Yes, if the vaccine authorized by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a process for assessing and listing unlicensed vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics during a public health emergencies. Through that process, a number of vaccines not available in the United States have received Emergency Use Listing (EUL). A document summarizing the status of a wide range of international vaccines can be found online on the WHO’s website (click on link to status of COVID-19 vaccines in the EUL/PQ evaluation process). The University will, consistent with CDC and CDPH guidance, accept proof of full vaccination with any international vaccine that has been authorized for emergency use by WHO through the EUL process. People who have completed a COVID-19 vaccination series with one of these vaccines do not need additional doses with an FDA- UC COVID-19 Vaccination Policy Student FAQs Updated July 15, 2021 Page 6 of 7 licensed or -authorized COVID-19 vaccine, at least initially (but may be subject to subsequent booster requirements). Those who are not fully vaccinated generally will be required to receive an FDA-licensed or -authorized vaccine no less than 28 days after their last international vaccination (but may consult with the Location Vaccine Authority or designee to discuss eligibility for a temporary medical exemption). In the interim, they will be treated as if they are not fully vaccinated.

Please remember to upload your vaccination record to the Student Health Patient Portal. Your vaccination record should be translated into English prior to uploading.

No. If you have proof of completing a series of any FDA-licensed or FDA- or WHO-authorized vaccine consistent with your country’s implementation, you will be considered to have complied with the vaccine mandate.

Yes. You will be allowed on campus but will be referred to a vaccine site to get vaccinated immediately, unless you qualify for a University-approved exception or deferral. Until you are fully vaccinated, you will be subject to the non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) described in Appendix A: COVID-19 Prevention Strategies for unvaccinated individuals. Additional safety measures may be deemed necessary, depending on the circumstances, by local public health, environmental health and safety, occupational health, or infection prevention authorities, including the Location Vaccine Authority. 

Several airports now offer COVID-19 vaccines, including:

Yes. A social security number is not required in order to receive the vaccine. However, some providers may require that you enter a full nine-digit social security number or only the last four digits when completing your registration prior to scheduling the appointment.  If you are unable to complete registration and schedule an appointment, then please contact the vaccine provider directly for guidance and advise them that you do not have a social security number.