Vaccine Information for Employees
While the state has now suspended its vaccine booster mandate for health care workers, boosters remain the best way you can protect yourself and those around you against COVID-19. Please get one soon if you haven’t yet. And if you do get a booster, please report it to Employee Health Services using the button immediately below this paragraph. We will need to have that data in hand when the state re-evaluates its booster mandate later in the spring.
Report Your Vaccination or Booster to EHS >
Schedule Your Vaccination Now >
COVID-19 Vaccination Resources
For more details about COVID-19 vaccination, please refer to the following resources. These will be updated frequently.
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- Pfizer Fact Sheet for Recipients and Caregivers (ages 5-11)
- Moderna Fact Sheet for Recipients and Caregivers
- Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) Fact Sheet for Patients
- Joint Letter From Dr. Davis and 1199 President George Gresham - 06/10/21
- Frequently Asked Questions About COVID-19 Vaccines - public-facing vaccine site
- Talking Points for Patients Calling With Vaccine-Related Questions - 12/27/21
- Vaccine-Related Documents for the Public
- Alan Copperman, MD, on why the vaccines won’t affect your fertility (full video and condensed video)
- There are a lot of myths on the internet about COVID-19 vaccines. Mount Sinai is working with a company called NewsGuard to provide the most accurate information. If you’ve heard something that sounds questionable and want to know if it’s true or not, you can look it up in NewsGuard’s report on the top COVID-19 vaccine myths.
- COVID-19 Vaccine And The Black Community: A Tyler Perry Special - 12/28/21
One-Page Answers About Vaccines
- Will the COVID-19 Vaccines Affect My Fertility? - 12/29/21
- Were the COVID-19 Vaccines Made Too Quickly? - 12/29/21
- I've Had COVID-19. Do I Need to Get Vaccinated? - 12/29/21
- Do the COVID-19 Vaccines Protect Me from the Omicron Variant? - 12/29/21
- Should I Get Vaccinated if I Have Allergies? - 08/06/21
- I'm Pregnant. Should I Get Vaccinated? - 12/29/21
- Do the COVID-19 Vaccines Contain Any Ingredients that Conflict With Religious Practices or Beliefs? - 08/20/21
Will taking the vaccine give me COVID-19?
No. It is NOT possible to get COVID-19 from any of the vaccines that have received emergency use authorization or are in advanced clinical trials.
How do the COVID-19 vaccines work?
Vaccines expose us to pieces of either a bacteria or a virus. Our body mounts an immune response by making antibodies against those pieces. Antibodies are proteins that fight germs like viruses and bacteria by latching onto and disabling them. The goal is that our body will then recognize those pieces and use the antibodies to fight off any future exposure to the real bacteria or virus.
There are several different types of vaccines.
Traditional vaccines include pieces of the virus in them. This causes your immune system to react by making antibodies against those pieces.
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are called “messenger RNA” vaccines. They do not contain pieces or proteins from the virus. Instead, they contain instructions for your cells, called “messenger RNA.” This messenger RNA tells your cells to make the COVID-19 spike protein themselves. Once your cells make the spike protein, your immune system will make the antibodies that fight COVID-19 and protect you from getting sick from this virus.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine also instructs your cells to make the COVID-19 spike protein themselves, but it delivers those instructions by using a harmless adenovirus, similar to a common cold virus, rather than using messenger RNA.
- 03/29/21
Is vaccination mandatory for Mount Sinai employees?
COVID-19 vaccination is mandatory for all faculty and staff, with limited exceptions for medical reasons. This applies to employees at all Mount Sinai locations, including hospital, ambulatory, academic, corporate, and other sites. Faculty and staff who receive a medical exemption from the vaccine mandate must undergo weekly PCR testing for COVID-19.
- 04/29/22
What should I do if I don’t feel well after vaccination?
It is common to have side effects after a vaccination. They mean your immune system is working and making antibodies as it’s supposed to. Most of the side effects reported with COVID-19 vaccines are mild and go away quickly, especially with over-the-counter pain medicines.
If you experience side effects that are strong enough to interfere with work, please take a PTO day.
Do I have to pay for the vaccine?
No. The vaccine will be provided to you at no cost.
Can we choose which vaccine we receive?
We encourage you to take the vaccine you are offered and not wait for another vaccine to become available.
What support will the hospital system provide should anyone have a significant adverse event as a result of the vaccination?
Like with any vaccine, any unexpected or adverse events will be reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Both the NYSDOH and MSHS have systems in place to support the health of our employees.
Will there be an MD on site where vaccines are administered? Will there be medicines for anaphylaxis or other severe reactions nearby?
The staff at the vaccination site will be prepared to attend to any emergency including a rare allergic reaction or anaphylaxis.
Once you've received the vaccine, do you stay behind for a brief monitoring for any immediate reaction?
Yes. After receiving the vaccine, you will be asked to stay for a short period of time so that we can monitor you for any reactions to the vaccine.
What should I do if I’ve lost my vaccine card?
If you were vaccinated in New York City, you can retrieve the information online at https://myvaccinerecord.cityofnewyork.us/myrecord/.