Note: This letter originally appeared as an email sent to the Hopkins community on November 9, 2021.
Dear JHU Community:
We have been hearing from many people that it has been a challenging year to obtain appointments for influenza vaccinations and that Johns Hopkins clinics have been filling up quickly. Therefore, the deadline for the JHU mandate is being extended by two weeks, to Friday, December 3.
Thank you to everyone who has already gotten their flu shot this year. This is an important step toward protecting the health and well-being of all members of our university community. All JHU faculty, staff (including postdoctoral fellows and bargaining unit members), and students who are or who plan to be on our U.S. campuses are required to upload proof of flu vaccination to the Vaccine Management System before the deadline. You may also use the VMS to request a medical or religious exception. Even if you have an approved exception from previous years, you will still need to request a new exception in the VMS this year. Instructions are available online.
We are working to add additional clinics, which can be scheduled through MyChart: Select Visits, then Schedule an Appointment, then Flu Shot–Occupational and Student Health if you want to see available options. If you need assistance accessing MyChart or booking an appointment, you may go to a JHU COVID testing site and ask the staff there for help. You may also email testinginfo@jhu.edu.
As a reminder, the flu shot is free anywhere for employees and students who have a JHU health plan. You can also use the JHU voucher (available at vms.jh.edu) for a free shot at Walgreens. Many pharmacies are requiring appointments and not taking walk-ins this year, so we encourage people to book appointments now if needed. For Hopkins clinics, keep an eye on MyChart for future openings. This web page also has information regarding where the shot is available at Hopkins and will be updated as additional clinics are added.
Regardless of where you get your shot, make sure you get documentation before you leave and then upload it into the VMS. The only place where information is uploaded automatically into the VMS is at an on-site JHU occupational/student health clinic, not at Walgreens (as in previous years) or JHM physicians’ offices.
If you have received the vaccination, but don’t have documentation to upload, you can get it from the provider’s website (e.g., Walgreens, CVS, etc.) or from a state website called Maryland MyIR, which is a free website service that allows consumers to view and print copies of their official vaccination records directly from ImmuNet, Maryland’s immunization information system.
JHU School of Medicine employees, postdoctoral trainees, and students fall under Johns Hopkins Medicine’s mandate and policies. The deadline and requirements differ, so please refer to JHM’s guidance online.
For APL staff members who work, teach, or attend classes at other JHU or JHM campuses, the mandates for each campus apply and can supersede APL guidelines.
If you have any additional questions, you can email VMS@jhu.edu for help.
Sincerely,
Meredith Stewart
Interim Vice President for Human Resources
Stephen Gange
Professor and Executive Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
Jon Links
Professor, Vice Provost, and Chief Risk Officer