Spring 2022 Booster Shot Deadlines

Dec. 16, 2021

Dear Bentley Community,

As we look ahead to the spring 2022 semester, we are reaching out to share important details and deadlines for obtaining your COVID-19 booster shots. Unlike with the first series of COVID-19 vaccinations, eligibility will depend on when you received your final vaccine dose, so please read the details below carefully. For those who like a simple message: get your booster dose as soon as you are eligible and upload proof to the Bentley Health Portal so that you’ll be ready to be back on campus!

We recognize that this booster requirement and the continued weekly screening testing for the spring semester make this pandemic seem unending. Please remember that the protocols we followed during the fall semester allowed us to enjoy many in-person experiences and events, and continuing to follow these will give us the best chance to experience them again this spring. We are working to bring positive recognition to those students who complete these requirements on time as a thanks for doing your part to keep our community safe. Keep an eye out for more details in early 2022. For now, here are the important details you need to know: 

Deadlines
Most Students

• Most students are already eligible or will be eligible for booster shots by the start of the spring semester. For those students, the deadline to receive your COVID-19 booster shot and upload your updated CDC vaccination card to the Bentley Health Portal is your specific move-in day for residential students and February 1 for non-residential students. Since booster shots are in high demand, you should make every effort to schedule an appointment as soon as you are able over the break.

Some Students

• If you received your last dose less than six months ago (or less than two months for the single dose Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine), the deadline to receive your booster shot is two weeks after you first become eligible. For example, if you received your last dose of a two-dose vaccine on September 1, you will be eligible to receive a booster shot on March 1, making your deadline to receive a booster March 15.

Students Arriving Early

• If you will be arriving to campus early, you will be required to upload your proof of a booster shot prior to moving in or show proof of an upcoming booster appointment during check-in.

International Students

• International students will have two weeks after their arrival to receive a booster shot, or two weeks from when they first become eligible.

Students with Approved Exemptions

• Students with existing medical or religious exemptions are not required to resubmit exemption requests.

Students with a Recent COVID-19 Infection

• Those who have recently recovered from COVID-19 are required to receive the booster and can do so once they are no longer symptomatic and are released from isolation.

Faculty and Staff

• Must complete their booster shot and upload documentation by February 24, six months after the original deadline for faculty and staff vaccination, or two weeks after their eligibility date.

Eligibility
You are eligible to receive your booster shot:

• Six months after your second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine or a two-dose vaccine that is listed by the World Health Organization (like AstraZeneca or Sinovac), or
• Two months after you received the single-dose Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Shots are available at local pharmacies and public vaccination locations. You may now “mix and match” your vaccine doses, meaning you may get a booster that is different than your original vaccination series. Find a booster shot by searching at Vaccines.gov or texting your ZIP code to 438829. If you are in Massachusetts, you can also find a booster location at vaxfinder.mass.gov.

Documentation
Prior to moving onto campus, all residential students will be required to upload documentation of their booster shot to the Bentley Health Portal or within two weeks of their eligibility date. Students living off campus will be required to upload the same documentation by February 1 or within two weeks of their eligibility date.

We are looking forward to a successful spring semester and will need all students to do their part to ensure that we’re able to offer the events and engagement opportunities that make spring a special time on campus. Please continue to check your emails during break for any important updates or deadlines in advance of the spring semester.

We hope you have a wonderful winter break! Whether you’re home or away, please take good care of yourself and know that you are a valued member of our Bentley family. Thank you for doing your part to keep our community healthy and safe this past semester, we look forward to seeing you in 2022.

Geoffrey C. Bartlett, CEM
Director, Emergency Management

Julia Matthews, MSN, MPH
Director, Health Center