Moving Forward

COVID-19 Testing

Cyclones Care

Iowa State strongly encourages students, faculty and staff to get vaccinated against COVID-19, but it is not a requirement. 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. If you would like to get vaccinated, click on the state’s vaccine finder to make an appointment.

Iowa State vaccination clinics

Iowa State’s Thielen Student Health Center will offer clinics in August, including:

• Aug. 9, open to international students
• Aug. 17-20, open to students, faculty and staff
  • Daily clinics from 12-3 p.m. at State Gym. Use south entrance.
  • Appointments are recommended. You can schedule online or call 515-294-5801.

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

Why vaccinate?

Vaccines help prevent deadly and dangerous diseases by working with the body's natural defenses to provide immunity. Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

• How vaccines work
• Understanding mRNA vaccines
• Ensuring vaccine safety
• Vaccination FAQ

About the COVID-19 vaccine

Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH)

• COVID-19 vaccine information, distribution strategy
• Vaccination dashboard

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

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

Authorized vaccines

• Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, safety data (PDF) (approved for age 12 and above)
• 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.