Category: Messages to the Community

Title: Reminder to Submit Vaccination Documentation, and Guidance for International Students

Dear Students,

As a reminder, we will require all students, faculty and staff who will be on campus this fall to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, unless granted a medical or religious exemption. Vaccines are safe and effective, and getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. We are grateful to everyone who has already been vaccinated and submitted their information.

Students will need to submit documentation through the GU360 mobile app or GU360 website by August 1, 2021, showing that they have been fully vaccinated with a vaccine authorized for emergency use or granted approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the World Health Organization (WHO). Please also make sure your health information and other immunization records are up-to-date in the Georgetown University Immunization and Health Information Database Portal.

If you have not been vaccinated yet, please find a vaccination site near you or sign up for a free on-campus vaccination appointment. For students in the U.S., there is still time to meet the deadline:

  • If you are receiving the Pfizer vaccine, you will need to get the first dose by June 27 so that you have time to receive both doses (21 days apart) and allow two weeks after the second dose to become fully vaccinated by August 1.
  • If you are receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, you will need to get it by July 18 in order to allow two weeks to become fully vaccinated by August 1.
  • If you are receiving the Moderna vaccine, you will need to get it as soon as possible. Given the four-week interval between the two doses plus the two-week period after the second dose to become fully vaccinated, you may not be fully vaccinated by the time you arrive on campus in August, so you will need to practice enhanced public health measures on campus until you are fully vaccinated, as described below.

Guidance for International Students

We recognize international students continue to face unique challenges and uncertainties caused by the pandemic. Please review the information below and take the steps that apply to you.

  • Students who have received or will receive a COVID-19 vaccine authorized by the FDA or the WHO need to submit their vaccination documentation through the GU360 mobile app or GU360 website by August 1, 2021. If you are receiving any of the doses after that date, please email covidcarenavigator@georgetown.edu so we can provide guidance about receiving a deadline extension.
  • Students who have received a COVID-19 vaccine that is not currently authorized by the FDA or the WHO will need to be re-vaccinated with a FDA-authorized vaccine upon arrival on campus. Please email covidcarenavigator@georgetown.edu for guidance on scheduling an appointment and receiving a deadline extension, and submit proof of your prior vaccination through the GU360 mobile app or GU360 website.
  • Students who will not be fully vaccinated when they arrive on campus for the Fall 2021 semester because COVID-19 vaccines are not available or widely accessible in their home country, or to their age group, will need to be vaccinated with a FDA-authorized vaccine upon arrival on campus. Please email covidcarenavigator@georgetown.edu for guidance on scheduling an appointment and receiving a deadline extension.

Students who are being re-vaccinated, are in between doses, have received two doses but two weeks have not passed since their final dose or are being vaccinated for the first time on campus will need to request a deadline extension, and they must email covidcarenavigator@georgetown.edu to coordinate their vaccination plan.

Students who receive a deadline extension will be able to participate in in-person activities and classes on campus while they are receiving their vaccination, but they will need to wear a mask at all times (indoors and outdoors, except in very limited circumstances such as when eating, or in their personal residence or a private office with a closed door) and participate in enhanced testing protocols until they have submitted documentation showing they are fully vaccinated.

Please refer to the University’s COVID-19 Vaccines web page and answers to frequently asked questions for more information. Please contact the Care Navigator team at covidcarenavigator@georgetown.edu with any questions.

Thank you for your continued commitment to protecting our Georgetown community as we prepare to return to campus this year.

Sincerely,

Ranit Mishori, M.D., MHS, FAAFP
Chief Public Health Officer