Provost Elizabeth Watkins announced a return to in-person classes on Jan. 31 corresponding with decisions made by other University of California campuses. UCR has reiterated the necessity of compliance with the booster mandate based on UC requirements.

Students are asked to upload proof of a booster on their patient portal by Jan. 31. Students are also able to receive vaccinations through Student Health Services at UCR. In the past, failure to meet vaccine requirements resulted in holds on class registration.

UCR has made a technical transition into a new secure employee health record system called “MyChart.” Employees who have received any of their COVID-19 vaccines from UCR Health or the School of Medicine already have MyChart accounts and can upload their booster information there in order to meet the requirement. Others will receive an email in their UCR inbox that will help navigate their transition to MyChart. In tandem to the technical switch, the compliance mandate for employees has been extended to Feb. 25. Since Jan. 26, both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines and boosters have been offered in the Student Health Services.

There has also been some confusion amongst students about the booster. Only those who are eligible to receive their booster must update their vaccination status by this deadline. Being eligible means it has been six months since your last shot and you have not recently contracted COVID-19. The CDC recommends people who have recently contracted the virus should wait three months to be boosted. Students who are not eligible should consult Student Health Services at 951-827-303. When on campus, the Daily Wellness Survey should also be completed to ensure proper safety protocols are being followed. 

 In the United States, three COVID-19 vaccines are authorized for use to prevent COVID-19. According to the CDC, “In most situations, Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are preferred over the Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen (J&J/Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine due to the risk of serious adverse events.” 

Everyone 12 years and older that has received Pfizer-BioNTech should get their booster at least six months after completing their primary COVID-19 vaccination series. Adults 18 years and older that received Moderna should get their booster in the same timeframe as the former. However, adults 18 years and older that received J&J/Janssen should get their booster at least 2 months after receiving their J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccination. The CDC highly recommends receiving the Pfizer or Moderna boosters in most situations. Those who are immunocompromised can receive a third full dose instead of a booster dose. 

On-campus testing is limited to the Bear Cave Meeting Room in the Pentland Hills residential facility. At-home testing kits are available as an alternative for those that are uncomfortable with the testing regulations in Pentland testing facilities. Students and faculty are eligible to order four free at-home COVID-19 tests. These tests are provided by the U.S. government and are available for everyone in the U.S. The tests are rapid antigen at-home tests and are not PCR. Lab drop-off is not required and should give results within 30 minutes. More information about the at-home testing kit and other testing resources are available in the official site https://www.covidtests.gov/