COVID-19 Vaccinations

Iowa State strongly encourages students, faculty and staff to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Thielen Student Health Center (TSHC) offers COVID-19 vaccinations for students. Schedule an appointment by calling 515-294-5801. Employees are encouraged to contact their medical provider.

For additional vaccine options:

• Search vaccines.gov
• Text your ZIP code to 438-829
• Call 1-800-232-0233 to find locations near you.

Please remember that you cannot ask students or employees if they have received the vaccine.

Area and statewide vaccination information

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

Finding an updated Bivalent COVID-19 Booster

CDC recommends that people ages 5 years and older receive one updated (bivalent) booster if it has been at least 2 months since their last COVID-19 vaccine dose, whether that was:

• Their final primary series dose, or
• An original (monovalent) booster
People who have gotten more than one original (monovalent) booster are also recommended to get an updated (bivalent) booster.

To find an updated bivalent booster:

• Search https://www.vaccines.gov/
• Text your zip code to 438829
• Call 1-800-232-0233

Get the facts about the COVID-19 vaccine

State of Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

• COVID-19 vaccine information

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

• 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)

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.