Moving Forward

COVID-19 Testing

Cyclones Care

Iowa State strongly encourages students, faculty and staff to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The Iowa Board of Regents announced in April that the regent universities will not mandate vaccinations for any student or employee for the 2021-22 academic year. 

Iowa State vaccination clinics

Iowa State’s Thielen Student Health Center (TSHC) will offer free vaccination clinics for students through the end of November. Students should schedule an appointment online or call 515-294-5801 and bring their ISUCard to the clinic. Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccines will be available.

• Clinic hours: 9 a.m. – noon, every Monday and Tuesday at TSHC Clinic Pharmacy

Pfizer booster shots are available for students who meet the CDC guidelines and received Pfizer for their primary vaccine series. Those who are eligible must wait at least six months after their primary vaccine (six months starts two weeks after second dose) before receiving a booster.

Employees who are eligible for the Pfizer booster are encouraged to contact their medical provider. For additional vaccine options: Search vaccines.gov, text your ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find locations near you.

Who’s eligible for a booster?

The CDC’s independent advisory committee, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted on Sept. 23 to recommend a booster dose of Pfizer’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in certain populations. Individuals may self-report that they are eligible and receive a booster shot wherever vaccines are offered.

You’re eligible for a booster, if you received the two-dose Pfizer vaccine for your primary series and are:

• 50-64 years old with underlying medical conditions
• 18-49 years old with underlying medical conditions
• 18-64 years old and at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting
• 65 years and older and/or a resident in long-term care setting

Vaccination FAQ

• Find answers to questions about vaccines and vaccination distribution at Iowa State.

Area and statewide vaccination information

• McFarland Clinic (Ames and area locations)
• Story County Public Health
• State of Iowa public health agencies
• VaccineFinder.org (via CDC.gov)
• Avoid vaccine scams: ISU Extension and Outreach resources to protect yourself and loved ones

Get the facts

About the COVID-19 vaccine

Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH)

• COVID-19 vaccine information
• Vaccination dashboard

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

• COVID-19 vaccine information and chatbot
• Vaccine facts
• Vaccination tracker

Authorized vaccines

• Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, safety data (PDF) (approved for age 12 and above)
  • FDA granted full approval on Aug. 23, 2021
• Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, safety data (PDF) (approved for age 18 and above)
• Johnson & Johnson (Janssen), fact sheet (PDF) (approved for age 18 and above)

What to expect

• After receiving a COVID-19 vaccine
• Possible side effects, adverse events

Reporting

• V-safe: The CDC's smartphone-based, after-vaccination health checker for people who receive COVID-19 vaccines. V-safe uses text messaging and web surveys from the CDC to check in with vaccine recipients following COVID-19 vaccination. V-safe also provides second vaccine dose reminders if needed, and follow-up calls to anyone who reports medically significant adverse events.
• Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS): The national system that collects reports from healthcare professionals, vaccine manufacturers, and the public of adverse events that happen after vaccination; reports of adverse events that are unexpected, appear to happen more often than expected, or have unusual patterns are followed up with specific studies.