Bwog gives a brief rundown of Barnumbia vaccine documentation policies as deadlines approach.

As the school year approaches, both Columbia and Barnard have released updates to their Covid-19 vaccine policies, requiring all students, faculty, and staff to be vaccinated and submit vaccination documentation. These policies are available here for Columbia and here for Barnard. For both Columbia and Barnard, uploading vaccine documentation is a crucial step in receiving a green pass on the ReOpen CU App, which will grant affiliates access to campus.

While we highly recommend that you read these policies in their entirety, we have gathered a few key points here to offer a brief overview of vaccine documentation for both Columbia and Barnard. 

Columbia:

Domestic affiliates: All domestic U.S. affiliates, with the exception of those with medical or religious exemptions, are expected to be vaccinated with an FDA-approved or WHO-listed vaccine and have submitted documentation by August 2. Affiliates who have participated in a phase 3 vaccine trial in the US for the Novavax vaccine will also be considered fully vaccinated. 

International affiliates: International affiliates are highly encouraged to get vaccinated in their home country, but if they don’t have access to the full series of an FDA-approved or WHO-listed vaccine or only completed one dose, they can still submit a temporary access form in lieu of vaccine documentation to access campus and get vaccinated within 3 business days after arrival in New York City/completion of mandatory quarantine.  

Key dates: 

July 23:

Affiliates who are unable to submit vaccination proof or an exemption request by the August 2 due date must fill out the temporary access form by midnight tonight. 

If approved, this form authorizes the affiliates to access campus while taking extra precautions, also mandating that the student be vaccinated within 3 days of arrival in New York City/completion of mandatory quarantine. 

Note that this form is only applicable* to international affiliates unable to access two doses of an approved vaccine, affiliates who have had monoclonal antibody therapy within the prior 90 days, and affiliates who have been denied a medical and religious exemption. Click here for more information. 

*Bwog is currently in communication with Columbia as to whether this form can apply to domestic affiliates who can’t access approved vaccines in their community. 

August 2: 

  1. Vaccination Documentation: Domestic affiliates and international affiliates who are able to get vaccinated by an approved vaccine must submit vaccination documentation or exemption requests by August 2. The vaccine must be FDA-approved or WHO-listed, or the affiliate must have undergone the Novavax phase 3 trial. The documentation must be in English or officially translated into English. Guidance to submitting vaccine documentation is linked here. 

Verification of documentation can take up to 15 business days. 

  1. Exemption: Those applying for religious or medical exemption also must submit their exemption requests by August 2. 

In addition, applicants have to submit their request 30 business days before their first planned campus access. Having received monoclonal antibody therapy in the 90 days prior also counts as a medical exemption. 

Details about how to request an exemption can be found under Number 15 of Covid FAQs linked here.

August 16: 

Deadline to sign the CU Health Compact. 

September 9: 

Deadline to perform gateway testing if you are accessing campus for the first time since January 4th, 2021. 

Barnard:

Key dates:

August 1:

According to the Barnard website, this is the last day to receive the final dose of an approved vaccine in order to meet the August 15 documentation deadline. Barnard requires affiliates to be fully vaccinated by August 15, meaning that it’s been 14 days since their final dose. Any vaccination date after August 1 will not satisfy the 14-day minimum. 

August 15:

  1. Vaccination Documentation: Domestic affiliates and international affiliates who are able to get fully vaccinated by an approved vaccine must submit vaccination documentation requests by August 15.  

The vaccine must be FDA-approved or WHO-listed. Guidelines about how to submit documentation and what information must be visible on the documentation can be found here. Unlike Columbia, Barnard does not require that the documentation be in English.

You can upload your vaccine documentation here.  

Note that vaccination documentation uploaded to Columbia’s patient portal or ReOpen CU App will not be reviewed. Please upload documentation to the Barnard Open Communicator site. 

You can check Medical Clearances in Barnard’s Open Communicator site to see if your documentation has been accepted. This can take up to 10 days. 

  1. Exemptions: Barnard requests that affiliates submit an approved exemption by August 15. You can find the exemption form here. 

If affiliates don’t think they can meet the August 15 deadline, they must submit the Incomplete Vaccine Requirement Status Form. This form can be utilized by both international affiliates without access to approved vaccines and affiliates who cannot meet vaccination requirements for other reasons, including those in the process of applying for medical or religious exemptions. Unlike the corresponding Columbia form, this form does not have a stated deadline. 

Please remember to upload your required documentation on time so you can access campus in the fall!

baby getting vaxxed via Redbrick.me