COVID Vaccines
Student Vaccine Requirements
Students are expected to upload documentation of their required immunizations, including a COVID primary series and 1 booster (monovalent OR bivalent), to the student health portal prior to the start of classes, if they fall in any of the below categories:
- Residential students entering summer, fall, or spring. Residential students are expected to be in compliance with the requirements PRIOR to moving into the residence halls.
- Undergraduate students who are taking 12 credits or more.
- Graduate students enrolled full time in their graduate program. This includes students who may alternate between part time to full time status for an individual semester.
- Part-time students in a health science academic program.
- Students attending the university on an international student visa.
Faculty and Staff Vaccine Requirements
All staff and full-time faculty are required to receive an initial vaccine series or request an exemption regardless of whether they are working on-campus or remotely. At this time, employees are strongly encouraged, but not required, to receive subsequent booster doses. Any changes to employee vaccine requirements are subject to statewide bargaining between the collective bargaining units and state-wide unions.
Part-time faculty who provide in-person instruction, whether on-campus or in a clinical setting, are required to be vaccinated or request an exemption. Part-time faculty who teach remotely may request a waiver but will not be permitted on campus and may not teach in-person until they comply with the Salem State vaccine mandate.
Employees are required to submit their vaccine documentation by faxing their results to 978-542-2605 or sending an encrypted email to Ezekiel Holt and Andrea Claudio. For instructions on how to submit an encrypted email, please visit Polaris.
Vaccination Options
- CVS: In addition, the CVS on Canal Street near the Harrington/Central Campus is offering vaccines. Search other CVS pharmacies that may be offering the COVID vaccine.
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Lynn Community Health Center: The Lynn Community Health Center is offering walk-in and appointments for COVID vaccination. You can call the Lynn Vaccine call center at 781-595-7747 to schedule it (representatives available in English and Spanish). Anyone is able to be vaccinated with LCHC, you do not need to be a patient of LCHC or a resident of Lynn. LCHC can also assist with transportation to/from your vaccine appointment with them, if necessary.
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As of April 12, 2023, the bivalent vaccine is not approved by the FDA for a primary COVID vaccine series and the initial, monovalent vaccine is in short supply. We are hopeful that the FDA will approve the bivalent vaccine for an initial series in the near future. If you are unvaccinated and are having difficulty finding the monovalent vaccine, you should search on vaccines.gov (hyperlink to https://www.vaccines.gov/) and filter by choosing the vaccine you’d like underneath “Primary Vaccines (for those not yet vaccinated)”
Documenting Your Vaccination
You should receive a vaccination card that indicates which Covid-19 vaccine you received, the date you received it, and where you received it. If you’ve misplaced your vaccine card, you can request a copy of your Covid-19 vaccination record here.
Vaccine Exemptions
Students can review medical or religious exemption documents on their student health portal within the "Downloadable Forms" section.
- Students claiming a medical exemption must present documentation from a medical provider stating that the vaccine is contraindicated and upload the documentation to the health portal.
- Students who are seeking a religious exemption should complete the exemption form on the health portal.
Employees seeking a medical or religious exemption should review the process in Polaris.
Health Information Privacy
Please note that the only office that needs to know a student’s vaccine status is counseling and health services. Your personal health information is private. You can review counseling and health services privacy policies here.
Learn more about the COVID-19 Vaccine
Key Things to Know about COVID-19
Getting the Facts: Vaccine Awareness & Slowing the Spread