FAQ - COVID-19 Vaccine

If you've lost your vaccination card, there are resources you can use to request a replacement card. Did you receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or two doses of the Pfizer/Moderna vaccine at UofL Health? If so, you can email Covidtesting@UofLHealth.org to receive another copy of the card. In your email, you will need to include the following information:

• Your full name
• Your date of birth
• Your phone number
• Mailing address where you would new card to be sent

If you did not receive both vaccines from UofL Health, you can call the LouHealth hotline at 502-912-8598. You will be asked to complete a release request form. Once that form is submitted, you can have your vaccine record email to you via an encrypted email, pick it up at the health department or have it mailed to you. (Date Added: 8.26.21)

Campus Health Services now stocks COVID vaccines and individuals can schedule their own vaccination appointment by going to louisvilleportal.pointnclick.com and logging in with their UofL Office365 credentials and schedule a COVID vaccine appointment. Additionally, COVID-19 vaccine is available at most healthcare facilities and pharmacies in the city. (Date Updated: (8.13.2021)

No. The university does not have a universal COVID-19 vaccination requirement, but it is strongly encouraged. (Date Revised: 8.15.22)

There is no charge for the vaccine which is provided by the federal government. You may be charged for the vaccine administration which can be billed to insurance or paid by credit card to Campus Health. (Date Updated: 08.31.22)

UofL Campus Health Services is NOW administering the COVID vaccines. Due to vaccine supply,we cannot guarantee you any specific vaccine for your first dose. However, the brand of vaccine they administer to you at your first appointment, however, will be the same one they administer at your follow-up appointment for the second dose if you receive one the vaccines that has 2 dose series. (Date Updated: 8.13.21)

The federal government distributes the COVID-19 vaccine to each state based on its population. It is up to each state to coordinate the distribution within each state.Kentucky’s state vaccination plan can be found online, here. (Date Updated: 3.5.21)

According to CDC, people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, and part of a group recommended to receive the COVID-19 vaccine may choose to be vaccinated. While breastfeeding is an important consideration, it is rarely a safety concern with vaccines. No data are available yet on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in lactating women or on the effects of mRNA vaccines on breastfed infants or on milk production/excretion. The mRNA vaccines are not thought to be a risk to breastfeeding infants. To make sure more information is gathered regarding the safety of these vaccines when administered during pregnancy, pregnant people are encouraged to enroll in v-safe, CDC’s new smartphone-based tool being used to check-in on people’s health after they receive a COVID-19 vaccine. If pregnant people report health events through v-safe after vaccination, someone from CDC may call to check on them and get more information. Additionally, pregnant people enrolled in v-safe will be contacted by CDC and asked to participate in a pregnancy registry that will monitor them through pregnancy and the first 3 months of infancy. If you have questions about getting vaccinated, talking with a healthcare provider may help you make an informed decision. Learn more about COVID-19 vaccination considerations for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding. (Date Added: 1.21.21)

For the latest information on COVID-19 vaccine approval for children, please visit this CDC webpage (Date Updated: 8.6.21)

Anyone who is not currently a student, staff, or faculty member at UofL may sign up on UofL Health's public vaccination website: https://uoflhealth.org/louisville-covid-19-vaccinations/ (Date Updated: 04.05.21)

Yes. COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials included diverse and underrepresented groups. (Date Added: 12.15.20)

As COVID was only identified in December 2019 and these are new vaccines, the long-term effects of the vaccines are unknown at this time. (Date Added: 12.15.20)

The most common side effect caused by the COVID vaccines include: (1) pain at the site where the vaccine was given, (2) headache, (3) fever, (4) chills or (5) muscle aches. Side effects are generally worse after receiving the second dose. (Date Added: 12.15.20)

If you have side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine and are unable to work, you must remain home until the side effects subside. During this time, you may:

• work from home (if able and approved by supervisor) or
• use accrued sick, vacation or personal leave (if any available); or
• be placed on unpaid leave (if all other leaves exhausted)

Please Note: If an employee is absent for more than seven days, they may be eligible for FMLA. If they qualify for FMLA, staff may apply for shared leave after all leave balances are exhausted. (Date Added: 1.13.21)

No. You will not test positive on nose, throat or saliva tests because of the vaccine. You may positively test if you have an antibody test from a blood test. Having positive antibodies to COVID-19 does not mean that you are infected with COVID-19. Antibody testing following the completion of the vaccine series is not recommended to confirm response to the vaccine. (Date Added: 12.15.20)

No, it is not possible to get COVID-19 from vaccines. Vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 use inactivated virus, parts of the virus (e.g. the spike protein), or a gene from the virus. None of these can cause COVID-19. (Date Added: 12.15.20)

Even if you have previously tested positive for COVID-19, you should still consider getting the vaccine. The vaccine protects against several strains (types) of the pathogen and can still be valuable. (Date Added: 12.15.20)

The vaccines currently available under the Emergency Use Authorization require one or two doses. (Last Updated: 8.13.21)

Currently, there is no data regarding the efficacy of only receiving one dose of vaccine. We do not know the exact effects from only receiving one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, but it is believed that the efficacy of the vaccine would be reduced. (Date Added: 12.15.20)

A booster dose of vaccine is recommended regardless of the type of vaccine you received.

ONE BOOSTER

Everyone 5 and up needs 1 booster dose.

TWO BOOSTERS

If you are 50 yo or older one dose 5 months after your primary series and another 4 months after your 1st booster.

Some >12 years of age with mod to severe immunocompromised state.

Not sure if you need a booster, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.html and use the “When you Can Get Your Booster” tool to tell you when you need a booster.

Nearly everyone needs at least one booster but some may need two. For help determining how many boosters you should receive please visit:https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.html and Use the “When You Can Get Your Booster” tool from the CDC.(Date Revised: 08.31.22)

Nearly everyone needs at least one booster but some may need two. For help determining how many boosters you should receive please visit:https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.html and Use the “When You Can Get Your Booster” tool from the CDC.(Date Revised: 08.31.22)

Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson use the same dose as in the primary series, but Moderna uses one-half (1/2) the primary series dose (Date Added 10.27.21)

No. A booster dose is a single dose for any of the COVID vaccines, so you only need one additional dose regardless of the primary series. (Date Added 10.27.21)

Yes. You can mix and match booster doses following completion of the primary vaccination series with a different COVID-19 vaccine. (Date Added 10.27.21)

An “additional dose” is for individuals who are moderately to severely immunocompromised who receive a third dose of a mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. A “Booster dose” is a supplemental dose of vaccine given when individuals have completed their primary series but their immunity may have decreased over time (Date Added 10.27.21)

No. (Date Added 10.27.21)

For the mRNA vaccines you should wait at least 6 months before getting your booster dose. For the Johnson & Johnson vaccine you should wait 2 months from your first dose. (Date Added 10.27.21)

At this time, CDC does not have a recommendation for immunocompromised people to receive both a booster shot and an additional dose. The current recommendation is for immunocompromised people to receive an additional dose 28-days after completing an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine series. (Date Added 10.27.21)

The duration of protection is currently unknown. (Date Added: 12.15.20)

The Kentucky Department of Health is the distributor all COVID-19 vaccines and requires information from each vaccine recipient including your name, date of birth, race and ethnicity. (Date Added: 12.15.20)

The mRNA COVID-19 vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna do not require the use of any fetal cell cultures to manufacture (produce) the vaccine. Early in the development of mRNA vaccine technology, fetal cells were used for “proof of concept” (to demonstrate how a cell could take up mRNA and produce the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein) or to characterize the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were found to be ethically uncontroversial by the pro-life policy organization the Charlotte Lozier Institute. Further, Brian Kane, senior director of ethics for the Catholic Health Association of the United States, stated in an interview for America: The Jesuit Review, “In terms of the moral principles of being concerned about the use of any pharmaceuticals that were developed from aborted fetuses, that is certainly an issue that we all want to be cognizant of and try to avoid their use. With that in mind, the Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines that are coming out are not even tainted with that moral problem.” A comprehensive list of COVID-19 vaccines in development and any connection to abortion derived cell lines is available here. (Date Added: 12.15.20)

Yes, it is very important to get the influenza vaccine in addition to the COVID-19 vaccine. (Date Update: 3.5.20)

Appointments may take anywhere from 30 minutes to one hour. After receiving your dose, UofL Health staff will need to monitor you for at least 15 minutes. If you have a history of allergic reactions, they may need to monitor you for longer. (Date Added: 3.5.21)

No. Supervisors should schedule around their employees' vaccination appointments.(Date Added: 04.05.21)