General COVID-19 Vaccination FAQs
The following FAQs addresses some of the most common questions that have arisen from the University’s decision to require COVID-19 vaccinations for fall 2021 for students. The information below is subject to change as further guidance is forthcoming from public health authorities.
Xavier University will require all students – undergraduate, graduate, and professional – to be fully vaccinated as a condition of enrollment for the 2021–22 academic year. (Vaccine Letter Fall 2021). These requirements are designed to facilitate the resumption of full, in-person campus activity and reduce the risk of infection on campus and within the local community.
Xavier strongly urges members of its community to get an available appointment for vaccination wherever they can as soon as they become eligible. Anyone 12 years of age or over and living, studying or working on Xavier’s campus is eligible to be vaccinated in Louisiana; see https://covidvaccine.la.gov/ for vaccine information and locations. Out of state residents should contact their local or state authorities for information.
Given vaccine penetration in the US and projections related to supply in the coming months, it is our expectation that students in the United States should be able to get fully vaccinated prior to their arrival at Xavier. Assuming the continued availability of vaccines, those students who are unable to access the COVID-19 vaccine prior to arrival, especially international students, should be able to get vaccinated in Louisiana and, we expect, very likely on Xavier’s campus when they arrive in New Orleans.
The driving force behind our vaccination requirement for students is to protect the health and safety of our community—and the Xavier community—to the fullest extent possible, and to enable our students to engage in-person and more fully in various aspects of university life than they have since the onset of the pandemic. Xavier will continue to make safety the primary consideration in its decision-making, and to rely on the most up-to-date scientific information available to make informed decisions about its operations.
As is the case with all vaccination requirements for students, students may request religious and medical exemptions from the COVID-19 vaccination requirements.
Xavier is currently accepting vaccines that are authorized in the United States by the FDA or those authorized by the World Health Organization (WHO).
We strongly encourage all eligible students to immediately seek out and receive COVID-19 vaccines that are nationally approved, if not FDA or WHO approved, wherever they are.
Xavier is awaiting guidance from US authorities on how to manage students who have received vaccines not approved for use in the US. We intend to facilitate the needs of these students (if any) based on this guidance.
Instructions to submit your vaccination record:
Mail: Xavier University of LA, 1 Drexel Drive - Box 36, New Orleans, LA 70125
Drop Off: Xavier University of LA, St. Joseph Academic & Health Resource Center, Suite 217
Fax: (504)520-7962
Secure Upload into Patient Portal: You first have to receive your Xavier Login Information (email address) and Student ID prior to uploading the Immunization Compliance Form. (Note: It takes approximately 24-48 hours for the Xavier’s system to link with the Patient Portal.
Xavier is currently accepting vaccines that are authorized in the United States by the FDA (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson (J&J)/Janssen COVID-19 vaccines) or those authorized by the World Health Organization (e.g., AstraZeneca/Oxford and Sinopharm).
If you’ve been vaccinated with a vaccine that meets those criteria, then yes, you should submit it.
If you received a vaccine that is not authorized by the FDA or WHO, please do not submit proof of vaccination at this time. We will provide further instructions if and when the FDA and WHO expand their lists of authorized vaccines.
Students attending on-campus classes may request an exemption from the vaccination requirement for medical or religious reasons only. Request for: Medical Exemptions or Religious Exemptions forms.
Any students whose course registration is limited to correspondence courses, online classes and/or online programs, or any other courses that do not require meeting physically on campus for any reason or at any time will be excluded from submitting proof of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Exemptions are not allowed for those students residing in on-campus housing.
No, you will not be able to register for classes prior to vaccination unless you have an exemption on file or you are on-line only.
At Xavier University, the teaching modality for Fall 2021 will primarily be in-person instruction. A fully-remote virtual option will only be available for those enrolled in our degree-granting online programs.
Vaccination data will be used to prevent and respond to the presence of COVID-19 on campus and to comply with federal, local and University public health guidelines. The information will be maintained in accordance with all applicable laws and public health regulations.
No, not if you receive your vaccination in the United States. The US federal government is providing the COVID-19 vaccination free of charge, regardless of immigration or health insurance status.
Yes.
I lost my vaccine card.
Contact the site where you received your vaccine. They may be able to provide you with proof of vaccination. You can also contact your state’s health department. Some states have registries that include adult vaccines. Proof of vaccine is required.
I have two vaccine cards.
If you received separate vaccine cards for each dose of a multi-dose vaccine (e.g., Pfizer, Moderna), please upload a photo or scanned copy of the front of each card.
Yes. If you only received the first dose of a multi-dose vaccine (e.g. Pfizer or Moderna), please wait until after you have received the final dose to complete this process.
After you complete the process, it will take our team about five business days to review your information. If there are any issues with your proof of vaccination, we will contact you by email or phone.
Yes, as long as you have been released from isolation, are no longer symptomatic and have been medically cleared by a doctor after having COVID-19, you are able to get vaccinated. You do not have to wait until 90 days after your diagnosis. As long as you are not actively sick, you are able to get the vaccine.
Yes, everyone is expected to continue to follow all campus health and safety protocols, including required surveillance testing, wearing a mask, maintaining physical distance, and completing your daily health check.
If you have been fully vaccinated for at least two weeks, do not have any symptoms and are identified as exposed to COVID-19 or a close contact of a positive case, per the latest CDC guidance, you do not need to quarantine. However you are expected to follow the same health and safety guidelines, even if you have been vaccinated. Additionally, if you have been vaccinated and test positive for COVID-19, you still need to isolate. It is not yet understood if the vaccine can prevent or reduce transmission of COVID-19, so to reduce further spread it is important to continue isolation protocols if you have tested positive.
If you are fully vaccinated and experience symptoms, you will be sent for COVID-19 testing and, depending on your test results, will be treated accordingly.
The COVID-19 vaccine series should routinely be administered alone, with a minimum interval of 14 days before or after administration of any other vaccine.
People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving their second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as the Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine. If it has been less than two weeks since your last shot or if you still need to get your second dose, you are not fully protected. The date of your final dose of vaccine is Vaccinated Day 0, and you are considered fully protected starting on Day 15.
According to the CDC, scientists are still learning how long COVID-19 vaccines can protect people. Learn more here.