Like other vaccines, Covid-19 vaccines aid in the development of immunity to the virus. All vaccines protect the body by creating antibodies that fight future viruses. The Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine and Moderna Covid-19 vaccine both use mRNA to stimulate the production of these antibodies.

Individuals can be infected with Covid-19 shortly before or after vaccination because it usually takes your body a few weeks to produce the protective antibodies.

After vaccination, side effects can occur. However, this usually means that the body is developing immunity.

Learn More

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Understanding How Covid-19 Vaccines Work
• College of Engineering
  Video: How the Covid-19 vaccine is made and how it works

Updated June 30, 2022

For more information, please visit the Covid-19 Vaccine Booster Shots on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

Updated June 30, 2022

Georgia Tech and the University System of Georgia are committed to the safety of our community and mitigating the spread and harmful effects of Covid-19. We continue to recognize that Covid-19 vaccines and boosters offer safe, effective protection and urge all students, faculty, staff, and visitors to get vaccinated and/or boosted either on campus or with a local provider.

Updated June 30, 2022

Georgia Tech will administer the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine to spouses, domestic partners, and dependent children ages 12 and older of Georgia Tech faculty, staff, and students. These family members will need a temporary Georgia Tech Guest Account to use the mytest.gatech.edu vaccine appointment portal. Instructions: How to Create a Georgia Tech Guest Account for Your Family Member.

A parent or legal guardian must accompany dependent children ages 12 and older to their vaccination appointment. 

Affiliates, Tech temps, temps, and contract staff are also eligible to receive the vaccine on campus. These employees have received Georgia Tech Guest Account credentials to login to mytest.gatech.edu to sign up for a vaccination appointment. The Help Desk (404.385.5555) is also able to help these workers navigate the signup process. At this time, Georgia Tech is not extending vaccine appointments to family members of affiliates, Tech temps, temps, and contract staff.

Members of the extended community are encouraged to search for state and local health providers for scheduling a vaccination appointment. More information is available at vaccines.gov.

Updated June 30, 2022

Georgia Tech is administering the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine to faculty, staff, and students as well as their spouses, domestic partners, and dependent children ages 12 years and older. 

Family members will need a temporary Georgia Tech Guest Account to use the mytest.gatech.edu vaccine appointment portal. Instructions: How to Create a Georgia Tech Guest Account for Your Family Member. 

A parent or legal guardian must accompany dependent children ages 12 and older to their vaccination appointment. 

Updated June 30, 2022

Affiliates, Tech temps, temps, and contract staff are also eligible to receive the vaccine on campus. These employees have received Georgia Tech Guest Account credentials to login to mytest.gatech.edu to sign up for a vaccination appointment. The Help Desk (404.385.5555) is also able to help these workers navigate the signup process. At this time, Georgia Tech is not extending vaccine appointments to family members of affiliates, Tech temps, temps, and contract staff. 

Members of the extended community are encouraged to search for state and local health providers for scheduling a vaccination appointment. More information is available at vaccines.gov. 

Updated November 11, 2021

No. If you have received a vaccine on the WHO-approved list, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend that you receive an additional vaccine from the FDA-authorized list.

Updated November 11, 2021

To protect yourself as well as the community, individuals who have not yet received vaccinations on the FDA or WHO lists are encouraged to get an FDA-authorized vaccination once they arrive on the Georgia Tech campus. These individuals should work with a medical professional to understand the best vaccine option for them and can do so by scheduling an appointment at Georgia Tech’s vaccine clinic.

Individuals may make a vaccination appointment by visiting mytest.gatech.edu and using these instructions: How to Schedule a Covid-19 Vaccine Appointment.

Updated June 30, 2022

Yes. Please see: How to Schedule a Covid-19 Vaccine Appointment

You can find instructions for requesting a vaccination on the Stamps Health Services website linked here: How to Schedule a Covid-19 Vaccine Appointment.

Updated June 30, 2022

The vaccine clinic is located at Stamps Health Services at 740 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA 30332. Parking is provided in the W02 deck.

Those who received their first dose at Georgia Tech will receive a direct communication from Stamps Health Services with instructions for scheduling your second appointment.

We will reserve slots on mytest.gatech.edu for second dose vaccinations. To ensure you receive your second dose at Georgia Tech, you must act promptly once you receive notification about scheduling the second dose. Unclaimed appointment slots will be opened to all who are eligible.

Individuals who received their first vaccine dose at a location other than Georgia Tech should submit a ticket to c.gatech.edu/vaccine-help to notify the vaccine team that you need a second dose.

Updated November 11, 2021

No. The vaccines are not interchangeable and both doses must match. Your vaccine card will specify the type of vaccine you received and when you received it.

New guidance from the FDA and the CDC does allow you to receive a booster dose that is different from the initial two doses of vaccine. Any vaccine can be given as the booster dose. For instance, if you received two doses of Moderna vaccine initially, you can get a booster dose with the Pfizer vaccine.

Updated June 30, 2022

For more information, please visit the Covid-19 Vaccine Booster Shots on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

If you experience a severe allergic reaction, call 911, or go to the nearest hospital.

Call Stamps Health Services (students) or your healthcare provider (faculty/staff) if your illness seems to be more than mild to moderate expected side effects of the vaccination.

As part of this vaccination program, Stamps Health Services is required to report serious adverse events (irrespective of whether they are caused by the vaccination) after vaccination, which include death, a life-threatening event, inpatient hospitalization or prolongation of an existing hospitalization, a persistent or significant incapacity or significant disruption of the ability to conduct normal life functions, a congenital anomaly or birth defect, or an important medical event that based on medical judgment may jeopardize the individual and may require medical or surgical intervention to prevent one of the outcomes above. Any event meeting these criteria should be reported to Stamps Health Services.

You may also be given an option to enroll in v-safe. V-safe is a new voluntary smartphone-based tool that uses text messaging and web surveys to check in with people who have been vaccinated to identify potential side effects after Covid-19 vaccination. V-safe asks questions that help the CDC monitor the safety of Covid-19 vaccines. V-safe also provides second-dose reminders if needed and live telephone follow-up by CDC if participants report a significant health impact following Covid-19 vaccination. For more information on how to sign up, visit: www.cdc.gov/vsafe.

Source: Moderna and Pfizer info sheets

Updated June 30, 2022

Protection against severe illness, hospitalization, and death from Covid-19 wanes with time in those who have received the primary series of the Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson vaccine. This reduction in protection occurs particularly in older individuals. A booster dose of vaccine stimulates the immune system to reestablish protective levels of immunity.

Those who received their first dose at Georgia Tech will receive a direct communication from Stamps Health Services with instructions for scheduling your second appointment.

We will reserve slots on mytest.gatech.edu for second dose vaccinations. To ensure you receive your second dose at Georgia Tech, you must act promptly once you receive notification about scheduling the second dose. Unclaimed appointment slots will be opened to all who are eligible.

Individuals who received their first vaccine dose at a location other than Georgia Tech should submit a ticket to c.gatech.edu/vaccine-help to notify the vaccine team that you need a second dose.

Updated January 6, 2022

Georgia Tech requests all individuals traveling to Atlanta from an international location to follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

After Arrival in the United States 
You might have been exposed to Covid-19 on your travels, whether you traveled by air, land, or sea. You might feel well and not have any symptoms, but you can still be infected and spread the virus to others. For this reason, CDC recommends the following: 

• All Travelers 
  • Get tested with a Covid-19 viral test 3-5 days after travel.  
  • Find a U.S. Covid-19 testing location near you. 
  • Self-monitor for Covid-19 symptoms.
  • Isolate and get tested if you develop symptoms. 
  • Follow all state and local recommendations or requirements after travel 
• If You Are NOT Fully Vaccinated 
  • In addition to the recommendations above, stay home and self-quarantine for a full 5 days after travel. 
• If Your Test Result is Positive 
  • Isolate yourself to protect others from getting infected.
  • Learn what to do and when it is safe to be around others. 

Updated Sept. 29, 2021

At this time, the definition of “fully vaccinated” has not changed. Individuals who are two weeks past receiving both doses of a two-dose vaccine series, or two weeks past receiving the first dose of a one-dose vaccine series, are considered fully vaccinated.

Updated December 8, 2021

Stamps Health Services will use its electronic medical record system to record receipt of the Covid-19 vaccine at the Georgia Tech vaccine clinic. This will include faculty and staff as well as students who receive the Covid-19 vaccine on campus.

Updated December 8, 2021

Yes. Every person who receives a Covid-19 vaccine in the United States is given a vaccine card at the time of their first dose. The vaccine administration card will list which type of vaccine they received, the lot number, the date, and the signature of the individual who gave the vaccination.

Vaccine recipients should keep this documentation and remember to bring this documentation with them to their second Covid-19 vaccination.

Updated June 30, 2022

The University System of Georgia encourages people to wear masks based on their preference and assessment of personal risk.