Frequently Asked Questions
Vaccination
The University is taking comprehensive measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This page will be used to provide updates to the University Community about COVID-19 vaccination.
On July 2, 2021, the University announced that all residential students and athletes must be fully vaccinated in advance of arriving on campus for the Fall 2021 semester. Additionally, remaining University members who did not obtain an exemption should plan to be vaccinated prior to October 1.
Upload Your Vaccination Record
Submit your vaccination record to Student Health Services after your final dose. Tests/vaccination cards should be submitted here.
WHO-Approved Vaccines:
- J&J/Janssen
- Moderna
- Pfizer
- Astra Zeneca
- CoViShield
- Sinopharm
- Sinovac
Vaccination Requirement
On July 2, 2021, the University announced that all residential students and athletes must be fully vaccinated in advance of arriving on campus for the Fall 2021 semester. Additionally, remaining University members should plan to be vaccinated prior to October 1.
All vaccinations approved by the World Health Organization will be accepted for domestic and international students.
The University recognizes vaccines approved by the World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO-Approved Vaccines:
- J&J/Janssen
- Moderna
- Pfizer
- Astra Zeneca
- CoViShield
- Sinopharm
- Sinovac
See the most-updated information about vaccinations from WHO.
All vaccinations approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) will be accepted for domestic and international students.
WHO-Approved Vaccines:
- J&J/Janssen
- Moderna
- Pfizer
- Astra Zeneca
- CoViShield
- Sinopharm
- Sinovac
See the most-updated information about vaccinations from WHO.
International students who are not fully vaccinated, or who are vaccinated with a vaccine not on the WHO list, must obtain a WHO-approved vaccine before arriving in the U.S., or, if that is not possible, will be required to submit a viral test 3-5 days after travel AND subject to a mandatory 7-day quarantine upon arrival in the U.S. Following that quarantine period, international students must be vaccinated or granted a vaccination exemption prior to coming to campus for the start of the academic year.
Community members may request a medical exemption from the vaccination requirement by submitting a request for exemption.
Requests for exemption will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The vaccine exemption request form can be found here.
Students who wish to enroll in Fall 2021 must either be vaccinated or be granted an exemption from vaccination. Those who do not obtain an exemption, and fail to meet the vaccination requirement by the determined deadline, will not be permitted on campus.
Vaccination is required regardless of previous illness or test results. The University will not accept antibody testing in lieu of proof of vaccination.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) details its reasoning on its website. The CDC also outlines certain conditions under which individuals should wait 90 days before getting a COVID-19 vaccination. If you intend to be vaccinated after that 90-day waiting period but will not be fully vaccinated by the start of the semester, you can request a medical exemption for your waiting period.
While there may be some remote and online options, the University is planning to return to pre-pandemic operations, and most classes will be offered only in-person. Students interested in a fully online schedule should contact their academic advisor for assistance.
Obtaining Vaccination and Submitting Documentation
Submit your vaccination record to Student Health Services after your final dose. Tests/vaccination cards should be submitted here.
Vaccines are available through mobile clinics, walk-up locations, homebound programs, and more. You can find a vaccine provider near you on the State of CT Vaccine Portal.
There is no cost for the vaccine in the U.S., but, providers may charge or bill insurance a fee for the costs of administering the vaccine.
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines may be administered to 17-year-olds. The Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine may only be administered to those 18 and older.
The healthcare provider that administered your COVID-19 vaccination should have a record of your vaccination in their system. Contact your provider to get a copy of this record to provide it to the University.
Why Get Vaccinated?
Currently available COVID-19 vaccines are all safe and effective, and studies have shown they prevent severe illness and death from the virus. See the CDC’s Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 Vaccination for more information.
There are lots of myths about COVID-19 vaccination, including concerns about fertility. At this time there is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccination causes fertility or pregnancy risks. The FDA and CDC are continuing to monitor the safety of the vaccines.
Per the CDC, allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccinations are rare. Individuals with a history of allergic reactions should consult with their doctor. All vaccinated individuals must wait 15 minutes after receiving the vaccine to ensure no reactions occur.
All three vaccines on the U.S. market went through extensive clinical trials to generate this safety data prior to their approval. The FDA carefully reviews all safety data from the clinical trials of the available vaccines and only authorizes emergency vaccine use when the expected benefits outweigh potential risks. You cannot get COVID-19 from any COVID-19 vaccine.
The CDC recommends that people get vaccinated even if they have a history of severe allergic reactions not related to vaccines or injectable medications—such as food allergies. People with a history of allergies to oral medications or a family history of severe allergic reactions may also get vaccinated.
Testing, Isolation and Quarantine
Testing Strategy
A random sampling of all commuter students, employees, service providers, other University community members and residential students will be included in weekly COVID-19 testing. Testing is one tool to identify the person-to-person spread of the virus and guide the implementation of control measures throughout the semester.
Testing will resume in Fall 2021.
All on campus testing will be free of charge.
If you have a COVID-19 Positive Test Result contact:
- Students – Student Health Services (“SHS”) at (203) 576-4712 or healthservices@bridgeport.edu
- University Employees - Human Resources (203) 576-4588 or hr@bridgeport.edu
- University Service Providers - Respective Human Resource Department
Any student and University community members with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 should be tested as soon as possible. Students with symptoms should contact SHS at (203) 576-4712 or healthservices@bridgeport.edu.
Isolation and Quarantine
Any individual who tests positive for COVID-19 must immediately contact Student Health Services or Human Resources as applicable and self-isolate for 10 days from the date of the COVID-19 test or symptoms onset.
Self-isolation may be extended beyond the minimum 10-day period until symptoms have improved and individuals are fever free for 24 hours (1 day) – consistent with CDC guidelines.
Quarantine after Exposure
- Unvaccinated students and University community members who have been exposed to a positive COVID-19 case will enter quarantine for a minimum of 7 days. These individuals will be required to have a negative PCR COVID-19 test no earlier than 5 days from the day of exposure to be released from quarantine.
- If an asymptomatic contact tests negative on or after day 5 in quarantine, this person should continue to observe quarantine for the full 7 days and self-monitor for symptoms for a total of 14 days.
Exempt from Quarantine
- Students and University community members who have been exposed to a COVID-19 positive case within 90 days of testing positive for COVID-19 shall be exempted from quarantine if the exposed student remains symptom free. The exposed student must monitor their symptoms for 14-days and immediately report any symptom to the Student Health Services.
- Students and University community members who have been fully vaccinated do not have to quarantine after exposure to a COVID-19 positive case. The exposed student must monitor for COVID-19 symptoms and report any symptoms to the Student Health Services.
Academic classrooms and common areas will be cleaned daily.
The entire campus community is required to download the LiveSafe App. Additionally, every unvaccinated member of the community is expected to complete a contact tracing information sheet at the end of each day.
LiveSafe is the App that UB utilizes for campus safety, as well as for COVID daily health assessments. For your safety and security you should download and utilize the app.
