COVID-19 Vaccine

As announced on December 22, 2021, Pratt is requiring all eligible members of its community (excluding those with approved exemptions) to receive and upload proof of a COVID-19 booster shot for spring 2022 campus access. Pratt is also requiring all students, faculty, and staff to submit a new negative PCR test result taken within 72 hours prior to arriving on campus for the spring 2022 semester.

Pratt community members must have received a booster shot and uploaded proof by January 18, 2022, or within 14 days of becoming eligible thereafter. Eligibility as advised by the CDC depends on when a final dose of the initial vaccine was received:

• At least five months after the Pfizer or Moderna final dose.
• At least five months after the final dose of any WHO-listed vaccine.
• Two months after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

To find a booster shot location near you, visit NYC Health + Hospitals or Vaccines.gov. Following your appointment, submit your proof on the Back to Pratt site or the Pratt Safe App within 14 days of becoming eligible. If you have already received your booster, upload your proof as soon as possible.

Anyone who has already tested positive for COVID-19 must follow the direction of their doctor regarding the booster. Students with any further questions should contact Health Services while faculty and staff should contact Human Resources.

Community members who previously received an approved exemption from Pratt will continue to be exempt from the COVID-19 booster requirement but will be required to participate in the weekly on-campus COVID-19 testing program.

The Pratt Digital ID will be reset on Wednesday, January 12, 2022, after which each community member will need to have submitted a new negative PCR test result for their initial access to Pratt’s campuses, residence halls, and studios. Pratt community members who are on campus between January 4 and January 11 can submit a negative test result at any point during that time frame to fulfill the spring semester testing requirement. Residential students with questions about testing should reach out to Residential Life.

Testing will be available from 8 AM to 4 PM on both the Brooklyn and Manhattan campuses and will be accepted to meet the spring campus access requirement. Please see Covid Testing and Monitoring for the latest testing schedule.

Pratt will continue to offer voluntary and random on-campus COVID-19 testing during the spring semester. Those who have tested positive for COVID-19 are exempt from testing until 90 days have passed from the time they tested positive and should follow the individual campus access guidance they receive from the Institute.

Pratt community members must have received a booster shot and uploaded proof by January 18, 2022, or within 14 days of becoming eligible thereafter. Eligibility depends on when a final dose of the initial vaccine was received. Please see the CDC’s chart for the latest information as this guidance can change:

• At least five months after the Pfizer or Moderna final dose.
• At least five months after the final dose of any WHO-listed vaccine.
• Two months after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
  Direct link to this FAQ: https://www.pratt.edu/coronavirus/health-and-safety/covid-19-vaccine/#faq-recVuXb5GxdK4qtij

Booster COVID-19 shots help protect not just your health but the health of everyone around you in the Pratt community. The CDC advises that while COVID-19 vaccines continue to be effective in preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death, public health experts are seeing reduced protection over time. With new variants including Delta and Omicron continuing to spread, the booster adds new protection against becoming severely ill from COVID-19.

Yes, you should be vaccinated and receive a booster dose regardless of whether you already had COVID-19 because:

• Research has not yet shown how long you are protected from getting COVID-19 again after you recover from COVID-19.
• Vaccination helps protect you even if you’ve already had COVID-19.
• Evidence reported by the CDC shows that people have better protection by being fully vaccinated compared with having had COVID-19. One study showed that unvaccinated people who already had COVID-19 are more than two times as likely as fully vaccinated people to get COVID-19 again.
• If you were treated for COVID-19 with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma, you should wait 90 days before getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Talk to your primary health care provider if you are unsure what treatments you received or if you have more questions about getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

See the CDC’s chart for information on when to get a booster shot, how to schedule an appointment, what to expect, and more answers to frequently asked questions. The CDC advises that anyone 16 years of age and older who has COVID-19 after being fully vaccinated should defer a booster until they have fully recovered from the acute illness and have met criteria to discontinue isolation.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that everyone ages 18 and older who was vaccinated at least two months ago with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or at least five months ago with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine should get a booster with any of the COVID-19 vaccines available in the United States.

If you received a vaccine on the WHO’s Emergency Use Listing (EUL) and are at least 18 years old, you should receive a booster of the Pfizer vaccine five months after completing your initial dose series. At this time, WHO vaccinations are not approved as boosters. Pratt will continue to update its guidance as information is received.

The date you are eligible for a booster shot depends on the type of initial vaccine you received and when you received it. Use this Booster Calculator to help determine when you can get one. The CDC also has a detailed chart on when to get a booster shot.

If you received an international vaccine that is FDA or WHO approved, you should get a Pfizer booster shot five months after completion.

If you received an international vaccine that is NOT FDA or WHO approved, contact your health provider, as well as Health Services if you are a student or Human Resources if you are faculty or staff.

No, you can receive your booster shot at a different site than where you received your vaccination. To find a booster shot location near you, visit NYC Health + Hospitals or Vaccines.gov. Following your appointment, submit your proof on the Back to Pratt site or the Pratt Safe App within 14 days of becoming eligible. If you have already received your booster, upload your proof as soon as possible.

On November 26, 2021, New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency through January 15, 2022. This declaration launches preparations in the state before there’s an actual need. It allows hospitals to ensure they will have the capacity to meet regional needs and the time to purchase medical supplies.

A “state of emergency” can sound intimidating, but it’s a way to thoughtfully prepare. It is not a reason to panic. Members of the Pratt community are encouraged to continue taking steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

No, receiving the COVID-19 vaccine does not affect the PCR or antigen test results since these tests check for active disease, not immunity. There is no virus present in the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

The vaccine is free to everyone who is eligible. New York State’s vaccination eligibility now includes all United States residents 12 years of age and older, as well as non-residents (including international students). New York State has an online tool to schedule an appointment at a New York State-run vaccination site. Appointments can also be scheduled by calling New York State’s hotline at 1-833-697-4829. Find a city or state-run site near you for walk-in information.

If you are outside of New York State, the CDC has information for your location as well as general guidance on the vaccine. Currently, Pratt is not distributing vaccines.

The Back to Pratt COVID-19 Vaccine page has further information including vaccination appointment tips, different methods to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment in New York City, and useful websites and numbers.

No, you do not have to pay to be vaccinated in the United States. The US federal government is providing the COVID-19 vaccination free of charge, regardless of immigration or health insurance status.

Following the guidance of the CDC that promotes vaccination as a way to make it harder for COVID-19 to spread from person to person, Pratt is encouraging as many people to be vaccinated as possible for the safety and health of our community both on campus and beyond. The Mayo Clinic has in-depth information on the role of vaccinations in ending the pandemic.

Vaccinations allow us to have more in-person classes, events, and time together on campus. Each person who is vaccinated helps protect not just themselves from COVID-19 but everyone around them and helps us return to a more normal and robust academic year.

Fully vaccinated means that the required number of doses for the vaccine has been received and more than two weeks have elapsed since completing these doses. If you don’t meet these requirements, you are NOT fully vaccinated.

Example:

• 2 weeks after the second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines
• 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine

Pratt is following the guidance on vaccines from the CDC.

Yes, Pratt Institute is requiring all students, faculty, and staff who are on campus in spring 2022 to be fully vaccinated and have a booster vaccine. All vaccines authorized for emergency use or approved in the United States by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are acceptable. For international students, Pratt also will accept vaccines that have been authorized for emergency use by the World Health Organization (WHO) (see the WHO site for the latest list of authorized vaccines).

Everyone arriving on campus is required to submit proof of their vaccination and booster. Pratt is offering its faculty and staff up to four hours of excused leave per injection that will not be charged against any other leave. Details can be found in the vaccination time off policy.

Pratt asks all students, faculty, and staff to upload their vaccination and booster proof into our secure database for contact tracing purposes, proof of eligibility for using the vaccination day accrual, and to aggregate data about the progress that our community has made towards vaccination against COVID-19. The due date for uploading your vaccine and booster proof for the spring semester is January 18, 2022, to allow time for the information to be processed before the start of classes.

Students who receive vaccines approved for emergency use by WHO must submit proof of vaccination even if they submitted documentation in the past. Once the new submission has been approved, weekly testing to access campus will no longer be required.

For the latest information, visit the Back to Pratt COVID-19 Vaccine page.

The due date for uploading your vaccine and booster proof for the spring semester is January 18, 2022, to allow time for the information to be processed before the start of classes. All students, faculty, and staff (including those who are currently working remotely but plan to be on campus in the spring) can upload their vaccination proof into our secure database.

No, if you have submitted your vaccine proof online and it has been approved, it will already be recorded on your Pratt Safe app digital ID for accessing campus.

Members of the Pratt community who are accessing campus should have both icons on the bottom of their Pratt Digital ID colored green by submitting their social contract and the COVID-19 requirements reflected on their Pratt Safe app. Review the Campus Access Checklist to confirm you have followed all the steps. If you are still experiencing issues, contact covidcoordination@pratt.edu.

Pratt Institute is seeking to create a safe and healthy environment where we can come together on campus to have those dynamic exchanges of ideas in person that we so deeply value. The decision to require all students, faculty, and staff who are on campus to be vaccinated was not made lightly. Collectively across campus, we partnered to hear different perspectives on vaccinations during the decision-making process.

Following guidance from the CDC, recommendations from New York State, and a student survey, as well as consultations with staff and faculty representatives, Pratt made the decision to require vaccination for all students, faculty, and staff. There is now reliable evidence that the COVID-19 vaccines prevent COVID-19 illness and the spread of the disease.

In the final analysis, it became clear that requiring vaccines would be the most effective measure to ensure the safest environment for our community while on campus. Pratt will continue to make safety its primary consideration in all decision-making and will rely on the most up-to-date scientific information to make informed decisions.

Pratt has announced its vaccine requirement months in advance of the fall 2021 semester so its community will have time to gather information, consult with their health care providers, and take other steps to inform themselves of their choices. The three vaccines that have been deemed safe and effective for Emergency Use Authorization or have been approved by the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) are the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, the Moderna vaccine, and the Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine. This guidance can also be applied to COVID-19 vaccines that have been authorized for emergency use by the World Health Organization (WHO) (see the WHO site for the latest list of authorized vaccines).

The CDC has detailed information on the vaccines including how they are being monitored for their safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality that supports this emergency use. The benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine include prevention of serious illness, hospitalization, and death from the virus.

Pratt strongly encourages its students to make every effort to get vaccinated before they arrive in New York. If that is not a possibility, New York State’s vaccination eligibility now includes all United States residents 12 years of age and older, as well as non-residents (including international students). All students will be eligible to be vaccinated under these New York State guidelines.

The vaccine is free to everyone who is eligible. New York State has an online tool to schedule an appointment at a New York State-run vaccination site. Appointments can also be scheduled by calling New York State’s hotline at 1-833-697-4829. Find a city or state-run site near you for walk-in information.

The Back to Pratt COVID-19 Vaccine page has further information including vaccination appointment tips, different methods to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment in New York City, and useful websites and numbers.

Students, faculty, or staff members who cannot be vaccinated before arriving in New York, or who have only received one dose of a two-dose vaccine, or who have not met the requirements of full vaccination, must follow these guidelines:

• Submit a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days prior to their arrival on campus or to the residence halls.
• Participate in weekly COVID-19 testing until fully vaccinated. After the initial test is completed prior to arrival, ongoing COVID-19 testing will be provided by Pratt at no cost. Detailed instructions on weekly testing are available on Back to Pratt.
• Have the first vaccine dose within the first week of the semester (or arrival in the residence halls) and submit proof using your OneKey ID. Those waiting for a second dose must schedule an appointment as soon as possible based on their individual dose regimen.

The CDC recommends taking a photograph of your vaccination card as a backup copy. This will capture all your data if you lose your card. If you did not receive a COVID-19 vaccination card at your appointment, contact the vaccination provider site where you were vaccinated or your state health department to find out how to get a card.

The CDC does not have vaccination record information. Instead, they recommend contacting the operational immunization information system (IIS) in the state where you received your vaccination. It’s also recommended that you contact your vaccination site for a potential replacement and bring your ID as well as the dates you were vaccinated. If you were vaccinated at two different places, it's recommended you return to the site where you got your second dose.

Pratt’s students, faculty, and staff seeking a religious or medical exemption from being vaccinated for COVID-19 should take the following steps:

• Review the requirements for an exemption.
• Submit your request for exemption using the online form.
• If the exemption request is approved, submit a negative COVID-19 test taken no more than three days prior to your arrival on campus.
• Participate in weekly COVID-19 testing throughout your time on campus. After the initial test is completed prior to arrival, ongoing COVID-19 testing will be provided by Pratt at no cost. Detailed instructions on weekly testing will be shared with these members of the community before the start of the semester.

Students in this category should contact health@pratt.edu with any questions while faculty and staff should contact benefits@pratt.edu.

Do not delay vaccination if it is available to you. With the widespread availability of COVID-19 vaccines in New York, international students who cannot receive a vaccine before arrival will be able to do so upon entering the United States. Pratt will assist international students in complying with the Institute’s requirements as needed.

Yes. Pratt is accepting vaccines that have been authorized for emergency use or are approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) (see the WHO site for the latest list of authorized vaccines) as well as those authorized for such use by the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States. It is advised that you get vaccinated as soon as possible with any approved or authorized vaccine that is available to you.

Currently, the COVID-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) include Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson (J&J)/Janssen COVID-19 vaccines. The CDC states that people who were vaccinated outside the United States with an FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine and have received all the recommended doses do not need any additional doses. People who received the first dose of an FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine that requires two doses while abroad do not need to restart the vaccine series in the United States but should receive the second dose as close to the recommended time as possible.

This guidance can also be applied to COVID-19 vaccines that have been authorized for emergency use by the World Health Organization. Pratt is closely monitoring the changes in guidance from the FDA and WHO as well as the list of accepted vaccines.

Students who receive vaccines approved for emergency use by WHO must submit proof of vaccination even if they submitted documentation in the past. Once the new submission has been approved, weekly testing to access campus will no longer be required.

For international students, Pratt is only accepting vaccines that have been authorized for emergency use by the World Health Organization (WHO) (see the WHO site for the latest list of authorized vaccines) as well as those authorized for such use by the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States.

At this time, no other vaccines will be accepted for campus access. However, students who have received vaccines that are not approved can still access the campus by arriving with a negative COVID-19 test and adhering to a regimen of weekly testing until their vaccine is approved or until full vaccination with a WHO/CDC approved vaccine.

Students who receive vaccines approved for emergency use by WHO must submit proof of vaccination even if they submitted documentation in the past. Once the new submission has been approved, weekly testing to access campus will no longer be required.

Pratt is continuing to watch WHO and FDA approval determinations and the Back to Pratt website will be updated in response to any changes in their guidance.

The CDC states that people who were vaccinated outside of the United States with an FDA-approved or FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine and have received all of their recommended doses do not need additional doses. The CDC advises that for vaccines that are not currently approved or authorized in the United States that limited data are available on the safety or efficacy of receiving another approved COVID-19 vaccine. Please see the latest information on the CDC website.

Yes, Pratt is requiring that all of its students be fully vaccinated and have a booster shot if they are eligible by the time they arrive on campus, including to live in the residence halls. Any student who cannot be vaccinated prior to arrival will need to provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test within three days prior to arrival and test weekly until fully vaccinated.

Yes, you can register for classes before your COVID-19 vaccination. Proof of vaccination will be required before coming onto campus or entering the residence halls. Resident students who can not meet this requirement will follow the outlined testing process prior to vaccination.

Pratt’s COVID-19 vaccine requirements do not apply to students who will be learning remotely in the spring. These students will be able to make progress toward their degrees through online classes.

Please note that there are other immunizations required for registered students that can be found on Pratt's Immunization Information page.

Students choosing not to study on campus and students who will not be vaccinated at that time will have remote options for making progress towards their degrees.

However, Pratt strongly encourages each member of its community, whether they are spending time on campus or not, to be vaccinated to combat the spread of COVID-19.

Pratt’s vaccine requirement does not apply to students, faculty, and staff who are continuing to work and study remotely. However, Pratt strongly encourages every member of its community to be vaccinated to combat the ongoing spread of COVID-19.

No, whether you are vaccinated or waiting to be vaccinated when you arrive in New York, you are not required to quarantine. This applies to both domestic and international students as well as any arriving faculty and staff. This is based on the current New York State guidelines.

Pharmacies participating in a federal vaccine distribution program are setting aside any residency requirements for vaccinations. This will allow college students who got their first shot in New York to get their second dose at home or elsewhere, as well as students who got their first dose in their home state to get their second dose upon arriving in New York.

Yes, Pratt’s requirement is a COVID-19 vaccination. As the CDC advises, vaccinations are recommended for people regardless of their history of prior symptomatic or asymptomatic COVID-19 infection, including a positive antibody test.

There may be some situations where your healthcare provider may recommend waiting to get the vaccine. Please review Pratt’s COVID-19 Vaccination Exemption Requests.

Regardless of prior infection, vaccine status, or your perceived safety around classmates or coworkers, all students, faculty, and staff must adhere to the guidelines of the social contract that uphold the wellbeing of the whole Pratt community. More health and safety guidance is available on the Back to Pratt website.

Pratt students, faculty, and staff (including those who are currently working remotely) can upload their vaccination and booster proof into our secure database for contact tracing purposes, proof of eligibility for using the vaccination day accrual, and to aggregate data about the progress our community has made towards vaccination against COVID-19. These are the steps:

• Login to the vaccine form using your OneKey ID.
• Be prepared to upload a clear image of your vaccination proof that shows your name, vaccine information, and vaccination date.
• Select the vaccination brand you received and indicate the date(s) that you received the vaccination. If this is the first dose, you will also have to submit the second dose with proof of its administration.
• Click the submit button. You will receive a confirmation email of your submission. Once your submission is reviewed, you will receive a subsequent email about your submission status (whether approved or rejected).

Please note: the due date for uploading your vaccine and booster proof for the spring semester is January 18, 2022, to allow time for the information to be processed before the start of classes.

Yes, Pratt is offering its staff up to four hours of excused leave per injection that will not be charged against any other leave. This is in compliance with all New York Labor Laws, including 196-C, which provides for paid time off (PTO) to receive COVID-19 vaccine injections. Read more about this policy on our vaccine policy page.

Each member of our community has a responsibility to be safe for the whole Institute and no matter the circumstances Pratt is committed to this collective cooperation for the healthiest campus possible. The social contract holds our community members accountable with expectations for individual actions including vaccination.

The social contract for students, faculty, and staff is an extension of Pratt’s Community Standards and violations will be addressed by staff, faculty, RAs, security, and fellow students as usual. Any violations will be adjudicated as are all policy violations, however, it should be noted that violations where one’s actions cause potential harm to another or the community are dealt with more serious consequences/limitations. It is critical that all members of the community think through their decisions regarding the social contract as each decision will not only put others at physical risk, it may have student conduct repercussions.

Pratt is a fully vaccinated campus and is adhering to the strict measures and protocols based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), state, and city guidelines and policies that it has put in place to promote a healthy and safe campus. This includes the social contract that holds our community members accountable with expectations for their individual actions as well as rigorous testing standards.

Regardless of prior infection, vaccination status, or perceived safety around classmates or coworkers, all students, faculty, and staff must adhere to these core health habits: Wear a mask where recommended, wash your hands, and stay home if you are sick.

Joined with other measures like the Pratt Safe App, the Institute continues to promote these protocols that require everyone’s continuous participation for their success.

Each member of our community has a responsibility to be safe for the whole Institute and no matter the circumstances Pratt is committed to this collective cooperation for the healthiest campus possible.