COVID-19 Booster Dose Eligibility Expanded, Nov 22, 2021

Dear faculty, staff, and students,

Over this past weekend, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) joined the FDA and CDC in approving the administration of COVID-19 booster doses to ALL individuals at least 18 years old who received their last dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine more than six months ago. The OHA had previously approved booster doses for anyone 18 and older who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine more than two months ago.

The COVID-19 vaccines remain highly effective in preventing COVID-19 transmission, hospitalizations and deaths in most age groups. However, recent studies show that protection against the virus may decrease over time.

Lewis & Clark is pleased to announce that we are partnering with an external vendor to make COVID-19 booster doses available in early December to students, employees, and contracted staff who meet the above criteria. We will also have a limited number of booster doses available for students via special clinics offered by our on-campus Health Service.

Note that if you have already received a third dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine because you are immunocompromised, a booster dose of vaccine is not recommended for you at this time, and you are not eligible for our on-campus clinics. Also, if you received a vaccine other than Moderna, Pfizer, or Johnson & Johnson, the CDC is not yet recommending booster doses, so we will not be able to provide booster doses to you in these clinics.

Our target dates for these clinics are between December 2 and 9. These clinics are optional and free, regardless of insurance. If an eligible community member does not have health insurance, they can still get a booster dose in one of our clinics. The vendor is not able to guarantee in advance exactly which vaccine they will be administering, but it will be either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. Per the CDC, it’s OK to get vaccinated with a vaccine type (e.g., Moderna, Pfizer, J & J) that is different than your original vaccine type.

We need to know how many community members are interested in getting a COVID-19 booster dose in an early December clinic. If you are interested in participating in an on-campus booster dose clinic in early December, please complete this 3-minute survey by the end of the day this Wednesday, November 24. By expressing an interest in this clinic, you are saying that you would be open to a booster dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

Questions? Check out OHA’s fast facts or visit OHA’s boosters and third doses webpage for more information. As we develop the details of the December clinics, we will share information about dates and sign-up procedures. Please direct any questions to covid19info@lclark.edu.

Best wishes,

John Hancock, EdD
Associate Dean of Students for Health & Wellness