Pfizer COVID-19 booster vaccine events for eligible faculty and staff
COVID-19 Response and Recovery Task Force
To: Faculty and Staff
Dear Colleagues:
The CDC is recommending a third (booster) dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for individuals who had their second Pfizer dose six months ago or longer and who are in certain populations and occupational and institutional settings, including individuals working at colleges and universities.
A booster dose is not yet authorized or available to people who received the two-dose Moderna vaccine or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, as there must be a separate review of data for those vaccines. We will let you know when there is updated guidance.
To support the CDC’s efforts to keep our communities healthy and safe, we invite all eligible faculty and staff to attend a UCLA-wide booster clinic from October 15–31. During this time period, booster doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine will be provided to UCLA employees at no charge.
We are currently finalizing the details of our campus clinic and will provide more information in the coming days, including how to make an appointment. In the meantime, if you are eager to get the booster before Oct. 15, eligible individuals can schedule through the California MyTurn portal, through Los Angeles County or at a local pharmacy.
Review CDC recommendations for booster shots and a list of underlying medical conditions that make one eligible for a booster shot.
What else should you know?
- The Pfizer-BioNTech booster shot has the same formulation and dosing as the first and second shot. It is being offered to certain populations at this time to bolster waning protection.
- Moderately to severely immunocompromised people are eligible to schedule and receive a third (supplemental) dose of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. This supplemental dose is different from the booster in that it is meant to help especially vulnerable populations who may not build adequate immunity after the standard two-dose mRNA vaccine series to strengthen their protection. They become eligible for their supplemental dose at least 28 days after their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
- You are still considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna primary vaccine series or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Flu vaccines
Flu vaccine events for all faculty and staff are also underway now through Oct. 14, and employees can walk in or schedule an appointment:
- Walk in
Location: Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, B Level
Hours: 6:30 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.
- Schedule an appointment
Employees can sign up via their myUCLAHealth/MyChart account by following these steps:
1. Log into myUCLAHealth/MyChart account
2. Click on “Visits/Clinical Notes”
3. Click on “SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT”
4. Select “Employee Health Flu Vaccine”
5. Follow steps to schedule your appointment and complete Employee Flu Questionnaire
Employees who do not have a myUCLAHealth account should call myUCLAHealth technical support at 855-364-7052 (please do not sign up for an account on the website). You do not need to be a UCLA Health patient to sign up for an account.
We thank you for your continued commitment to public health and safety as we continue to do all we can to make this fall a safer one for our campus community, as well as for our families, friends and neighbors.
Sincerely,
Michael J. Beck
Administrative Vice Chancellor
Co-chair, COVID-19 Response and Recovery Task Force
Megan McEvoy
Professor, Institute for Society and Genetics,
Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics
Co-chair, COVID-19 Response and Recovery Task Force
