Fully Vaccinated - What Does it Mean?

While a CDC-defined fully vaccinated status is a crucial piece of evidence to document for businesses, employers and others who require vaccinations, there are still several questions.

For example, many health experts are pushing for the CDC to change its definition to include booster shots. Boosters are important for ensuring that people who receive them remain protected against the emerging Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus.

Vaccines are safe and effective medications that teach your body's immune system how to fight certain types of germs that cause diseases. They contain a tiny amount of a virus, bacteria or a bit of laboratory-made protein that imitates the disease-causing organism.

When you get a vaccine, your body's immune system "remembers" the pathogen and makes antibodies (defence cells). This allows your immune system to respond to future exposure to the same disease-causing organism quickly. These antibodies can help you heal quickly and avoid serious illness or death from the disease. This is why vaccines are so important.

Vaccines are also important for protecting the entire community from spreading certain diseases, known as community immunity. This type of protection is especially important for people who can't get certain vaccines, including infants and those with weakened immune systems.

A booster shot is a type of vaccine that you get after the initial doses in your primary series. It helps to strengthen your immunity and protect you against serious illnesses that might otherwise have caused you harm, according to the CDC.

Booster shots are needed because protection from the first two doses may not be strong enough to protect you against COVID-19 and other diseases. In particular, moderately to severely immunocompromised (immune-compromised means their immune system has been weakened by illness or other factors) may need an additional vaccine dose as part of their primary vaccine series.

Booster shots are safe and effective in most people. They also increase antibody production in your immune system by triggering the body to make new antibodies that can recognize and fight COVID-19. Some people will have injection site reactions, but these are generally mild and not disruptive. Other side effects can include flu-like symptoms and fatigue.

CUNY students, faculty, and staff must be fully vaccinated (or receive a religious exception or medical exemption) before entering in-person classes or visiting a CUNY facility. Proof of vaccination must be uploaded through the CUNYfirst portal ten (10) days before the start of class or a visit to a CUNY facility.

Exemptions to COVID-19 vaccination are permitted based on medical contraindications or sincerely held religious beliefs, practices or observances. Requests must be submitted through the appropriate exemption form by the applicable vaccination deadline, and approved requests must be followed as directed by the University.

The majority of requests for disability accommodation, including COVID vaccine exemptions, involve workers who have a documented medical condition that makes vaccination unsafe or risky for them. These cases often require a medical provider to explain the condition. If clear documentation is provided, there are generally no questions about whether an employee has valid reasons for an exemption.

Vaccines protect against many infectious diseases that are harmful to infants and children. They are given as shots to help build or boost immunity that wanes over time.

A vaccine usually contains more than one dose, but some can be combined to help reduce the number of shots kids need. This is particularly true of DTaP, IPV and varicella vaccines.

In New York State, all students ages two months through 18 years must have certain vaccinations to attend school. This includes all public, private and parochial schools, day care, Head Start, pre-K and nursery school.

There are no nonmedical exemptions to school vaccine requirements in NYS. The CDC recommends that children receive all required doses of vaccines on the recommended schedule to attend or remain in school.