Yes, Osco will return to campus on May 19 and 20 to provide second doses of the Pfizer vaccine. You will receive a confirmatory email once you schedule your first dose. Once you complete your first dose, you will be able to schedule your second dose using the link in the confirmatory email. You will also be able to schedule your second dose at the COVID vaccine clinic on April 28 and 29.

Keep the card you will receive at the vaccination clinic. Take a picture of it and upload it to the Bentley health portal for back up. And then bring it with you to the site where you are going to obtain your second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. 

For those who are seeking a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine, you must bring your CDC card as proof of receiving the first dose and that the timeline is correct. The Osco sign-up system does not allow for just a second dose to be booked so those individuals would need to schedule an appointment similar to a first dose. 

The second dose of the Pfizer vaccines should be administered as close to the recommended interval as possible, but not earlier than recommended. However, second doses administered within a grace period of 4 days earlier than the recommended date for the second dose are still considered valid. If it is not feasible to adhere to the recommended interval and a delay in vaccination is unavoidable, the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine may be administered up to 6 weeks (42 days) after the first dose. Currently, only limited data are available on efficacy of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines administered beyond this window. Read more here.

Students may be concerned about side effects of the vaccine while in the midst of exams and may want to take side effects into consideration when deciding which day to schedule an appointment. Possible side effects include: 

• Pain, redness, or swelling in the arm where you got the shot 

• Tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever or nausea 

These side effects usually start within a day or two of getting the vaccine. Side effects might affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days. 

Side effects after your second shot may be more intense than the ones you experienced after your first shot. These side effects are normal signs that your body is building protection and should go away within a few days. 

(Source https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/Pfizer-BioNTech.html and https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/expect/after.html) 

Because data are lacking on the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines administered simultaneously with other vaccines, the vaccine series should routinely be administered alone, with a minimum interval of 14 days before or after administration of any other vaccine. However, COVID-19 and other vaccines may be administered within a shorter period in situations where the benefits of vaccination are deemed to outweigh the potential unknown risks of vaccine coadministration (e.g., tetanus-toxoid-containing vaccination as part of wound management, rabies vaccination for post-exposure prophylaxis, measles or hepatitis A vaccination during an outbreak) or to avoid barriers to or delays in to COVID-19 vaccination (e.g., in long-term care facility residents or healthcare personnel who received influenza or other vaccinations before or upon admission or onboarding). If COVID-19 vaccines are administered within 14 days of another vaccine, doses do not need to be repeated for either vaccine. 

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/info-by-product/clinical-considerations.html 

Per the CDC, yes, you should be vaccinated regardless of whether you already had COVID-19. That’s because experts do not yet know how long you are protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. Even if you have already recovered from COVID-19, it is possible—although rare—that you could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 again. Learn more about why getting vaccinated is a safer way to build protection than getting infected.

If you were treated for COVID-19 with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma, you should wait 90 days before getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Talk to your doctor if you are unsure what treatments you received or if you have more questions about getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

Per the CDC, no. People with COVID-19 who have symptoms should wait to be vaccinated until they have recovered from their illness and have met the criteria for discontinuing isolation; those without symptoms should also wait until they meet the criteria before getting vaccinated. This guidance also applies to people who get COVID-19 before getting their second dose of vaccine.

Students: As with other immunizations, students should upload their documentation to the Bentley Health Portal at bentley.medicatconnect.com. 

Click on “Immunizations” and manually enter vaccine dates by month first, then day, then year, from your signed and dated immunization records. Click on “Upload” to upload the vaccination record document to the portal. Faxed or mailed documents are not accepted. The COVID vaccine is recommended but is currently not required. The health center will follow state guidelines as to when and if it becomes a requirement to attend the university. 

Faculty and Staff: Employees do not need to upload vaccine documentation. 

As of April 19, 2021, all individuals over the age of 16 are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Bentley University agrees with public health recommendations that anyone eligible for vaccination, get the COVID vaccine when possible.

An on-campus vaccination clinic will be hosted for Bentley, students, faculty and staff. Community members may also sign up on at VaccineSignup.mass.gov to be notified when state-run mass vaccination site have appointments available for their eligibility group, and search VaxFinder.mass.gov for a listing of all vaccination locations in the state.

Free! The COVID-19 vaccine is provided by the federal government. Entities providing vaccine administration cannot charge recipients but can seek reimbursement from health insurance companies. A vaccination site may ask you for health insurance information but should never ask you for a credit card, cash, or other form of payment.

If you have gotten two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines or one dose of the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 vaccine more than 14 days ago, you are considered fully vaccinated.

Fully vaccinated people with no COVID-like symptoms do not need to quarantine or be tested following an exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, as their risk of infection is low. They should closely monitor themselves for symptoms for 14 days.

Although the risk that fully vaccinated people could become infected with COVID-19 is low, any fully vaccinated person who experiences symptoms consistent with COVID-19 must isolate and get evaluated and tested for COVID-19.

We continue to closely follow the CDC and Mass DPH guidelines:
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-vaccine-frequently-asked-questions
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html

According to the CDC, if you've been identified as a close contact of a positive case, you should wait until your quarantine period is over before seeking a vaccine.

Anyone who has received two doses of either the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines OR who has received a single dose of the Janssen vaccine more than 14 days ago and who does not have symptoms, does not need to obtain a negative test prior to traveling to, or quarantine upon arrival to, Massachusetts or the Bentley campus, but must still participate in the Screening Testing Program.

COVID-19 vaccinated individuals arriving in Massachusetts must have documentation of their vaccination(s), including the date(s) of administration, available if asked. Additionally, the Bentley Health Center must have documentation on file of the vaccination. This exception does not include vaccinated individuals who have symptoms of COVID-19, who must follow all testing and quarantine guidance outlined in the travel rules at https://www.mass.gov/covidtravel.

Yes. While experts learn more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide under real-life conditions, it will be important for everyone to continue using all the tools available to us to help stop this pandemic, like wearing a face covering, washing hands often and staying at least 6 feet away from others. Together, COVID-19 vaccination and following CDC’s recommendations for how to protect yourself and others will offer the best protection from getting and spreading COVID-19.

Fully vaccinated students need to continue their participation in the campus screening test program.

Current guidance suggests that you should accept the protection of the vaccine offered in your country. When you arrive, you would likely need to get revaccinated with an FDA-authorized vaccine. Please review the CDC recommendations for traveling safely here.