Submitting or confirming vaccination documentation (6/11/21)

Dear Members of the Yale Community,

Over the past week I have received many questions regarding COVID-19 vaccination documentation—why, whether, and how students, trainees, faculty, and staff should submit this information to the university. In this week’s message, I will attempt to answer some of those questions and clarify the vaccination submission/confirmation process.

Why should I submit or confirm my vaccination documentation?

Having accurate information about the level of vaccination in our campus community allows the university to plan for summer and fall activities. The sooner we get information about the status of vaccinations on campus, the sooner we may be able to continue to relax restrictions, such as those that pertain to physical distancing, gatherings, and campus visitors.

Additionally, all students, trainees, faculty, and staff are required to be vaccinated or have an approved exemption by August 1, or, in the case of students, the start of the fall semester. If you have completed your vaccination (received the second dose of a two-dose series or one dose of a single-dose vaccine), submitting your documentation through the Yale Vaccine Portal (the portal) will confirm your compliance with this requirement. 

I believe the university already has my vaccination documentation—why should I confirm?

The simple answer is that even if you can see your vaccination information in MyChart and/or received your vaccination at a Yale location, you should not assume that your vaccination information is available to the university. Rather, you should go to the portal to confirm (see below for instructions). 

Why is that?

The university is collecting COVID-19 vaccination information for administrative purposes in its secure COVID-19 Health and Safety Database (the database). In order to protect your health information, the university will not access your medical record for this purpose unless you grant explicit permission. Information from individuals who provide this permission when scheduling through the Yale COVID-19 Vaccine Program is sent to the database. However, in most cases, the only way the university can collect this information is if it is submitted through the portal. In every case, it is best to confirm.

This is confusing. Please explain how I can confirm or submit my vaccination information.

If you are a faculty member, a staff member, or a postdoctoral/postgraduate trainee and have completed your vaccination:

• Please go to the Yale Employee Vaccine Portal.
  • Select the Immunization button on the navigation bar.
  • If you see the text COVID-19 VACCINATION DOCUMENTED, your vaccination is confirmed and no further action is needed.
  • If you see the text NO COVID-19 VACCINATION DOCUMENTED, you must enter the date(s) of your vaccination and follow instructions to upload the appropriate documentation. Please allow 1-5 days for this information to appear in the portal.
• If you need assistance submitting or confirming your information, you may call the Campus COVID Resource Line at 203-432-6604.
• If you wish to request an exemption from the vaccination requirement, you will find information and forms on the Yale Employee Vaccine Portal in the near future. 

If you are an undergraduate, graduate, or professional school student and have completed your vaccination:

• Please go to the Yale Student Vaccine Portal.
  • Select the Immunization button on the navigation bar.
  • If you see the text Verified OFF - Health Hold, your vaccination is confirmed and no further action is needed.
  • If you see the text Missing Info - ON Health Hold, you must enter the date(s) of your vaccination and follow instructions to upload the appropriate documentation. Please allow 1-5 days for this information to appear in the portal.
• If you need assistance submitting or confirming your information, you may call the Campus COVID Resource Line at 203-432-6604.
• If you wish to request an exemption from the vaccination requirement, you can find information and forms on the Yale Student Vaccine Portal.

If you have not yet been vaccinated and are in New Haven or Connecticut, you may self-schedule through the Yale COVID-19 Vaccine Program or find other vaccination options throughout the state by visiting the Connecticut Department of Health vaccine portal. You may call the Campus COVID Resource Line at 203-432-6604 for assistance regardless of your location.

I hope you find this information helpful. Thank you for your efforts to help us collect this essential information and for all you do to keep our campus as safe as possible.

Stephanie S. Spangler, M.D.
Vice Provost for Health Affairs and Academic Integrity
Clinical Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences
University COVID-19 Coordinator