Vaccine Information for Employees
COVID-19 vaccination is now mandatory for all faculty and staff, with limited exceptions for religious and medical reasons. This applies to employees at all Mount Sinai locations, including hospital, ambulatory, academic, corporate, and other sites, and those working remotely, even if a Remote Work Agreement is in place.
Vaccine booster shots are available for those 18 years and older who received their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccines at least six months ago or a single dose of the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine at least two months ago.
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COVID-19 Vaccination Resources
For more details about COVID-19 vaccination, please refer to the following resources. These will be updated frequently.
- Pfizer Fact Sheet for Recipients and Caregivers
- 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 - Updated September 10, 2021
- Frequently Asked Questions About COVID-19 Vaccines - public-facing vaccine site
- Talking Points for Patients Calling With Vaccine-Related Questions - Updated August 12, 2021
- 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.
- Learning the Facts: Undoing Myths About the COVID-19 Vaccines - Updated December 24, 2020
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COVID-19 Vaccine And The Black Community: A Tyler Perry Special - Updated January 28, 2021
“We Hear You” Video Series
To address some of our most common concerns about COVID-19 vaccines, a panel of Mount Sinai experts in infectious disease and clinical care held a series of panel discussions. You can see them here.
- Do the COVID-19 Vaccines Affect My Fertility?
- I’ve Had COVID-19, Do I Need Vaccine?
- Were the COVID-19 Vaccines Made Too Quickly?
- Why Should We Worry About the Delta Variant?
- Should I Get Vaccinated If I’m Pregnant?
One-Page Answers About Vaccines
- Will the COVID-19 Vaccines Affect My Fertility? - updated 8/6/21
- Were the COVID-19 Vaccines Made Too Quickly? - updated 8/6/21
- I've Had COVID-19. Do I Need to Get Vaccinated? - updated 8/6/21
- Do the COVID-19 Vaccines Protect Me from the Delta Variant? - updated 8/6/21
- Should I Get Vaccinated if I Have Allergies? - updated 8/6/21
- I'm Pregnant. Should I Get Vaccinated? - updated 8/20/21
- Do the COVID-19 Vaccines Contain Any Ingredients that Conflict With Religious Practices or Beliefs? - updated 8/20/21
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.
(Updated 3/29/21)
Is vaccination mandatory for Mount Sinai employees?
COVID-19 vaccination is now mandatory for all faculty and staff, with limited exceptions for religious and 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 or religious exemption from the vaccine mandate must undergo weekly PCR testing for COVID-19.
(Updated 9/17/21)
Will my work assignment depend on whether I get vaccinated?
Vaccination status will not affect your work assignment. We did not change any work assignments based on COVID-19 antibody status and will not do so based on whether or not you are vaccinated.
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.