FAQ: COVID-19 VACCINE POLICY

You may get a booster as soon as your isolation period ends, some clinical advice may state waiting up to four weeks after an active infection. However, the Student Health medical recommendation is obtaining a booster as soon as your isolation period ends.

Yes, you may receive a booster as soon as your isolation period ends.

USC is accepting outside test results for pre-“Spring semester start” testing. You may upload a photo of your results into "Upload Documents" in the "COVID-19 Viral Test Results" section in MySHR; if you have recently (within 90 days) tested positive, please ALSO complete the contact tracing form as indicated in the instructions. Note: "Spring semester start testing" does not substitute for weekly surveillance testing that is tied into Trojan Check. If you need access to campus, please schedule a test in MySHR. If you need immediate access to campus you may schedule a same-day testing appointment or use the Health Care entrance on Jefferson Boulevard between Vermont and McClintock to access walk-up testing.)

No, you do not need additional vaccination. The Pfizer/Moderna vaccine you received in the U.S. meets the booster requirement.

No, you should obtain a booster as soon as possible if you are eligible, as Los Angeles is in the middle of a growing winter surge. The following sites may be useful to you in finding a location: https://myturn.ca.gov (in CA),  https://www.vaccines.gov (nationally).

You may submit a medical or religious exemption form for review and evaluation.

Updated guidance for isolation and quarantine is available on the post-COVID Diagnosis and Recovery page.

The guidance for institutions of higher education, including guidance for USC, may be updated based on clarification from state and local public health agencies, which regulate requirements for colleges, universities, health care environments, and employers.

Current standards on isolation and quarantine periods, populations for surveillance testing (and testing frequency), recommendations for precautions such a masking and other infection reduction measures, are made in consultation with data specific to California, Los Angeles County, and college environments.

Faculty, staff, and students must do one of the following to meet the requirements of the COVID-19 Vaccine Policy:

• Receive two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines; or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Vaccinations administered through USC Student Health or USC Pharmacies are automatically recorded in MySHR (secure health records portal). If you receive your vaccine  at other sites, please  upload your documents (copy of your vaccination records) into MySHR individually. Booster shot records should also be uploaded.
• Obtain an approved religious or medical exemption:  Fill out the appropriate Religious or Medical exemption form and submit it to MySHR. Please allow 14 days for your request to be reviewed.

The vaccination policy applies to “all faculty, staff, and students who work, live, visit or study on-campus.”

For students—If you are enrolled in an online degree program and do not intend to be on the USC campuses, you are not held to the vaccine or booster requirement.

Your health record (visible only to you) will show “non-compliant,” and as a result, your Trojan Check will be de-activated and you will not be able to access USC campuses.

If you enroll in classes that are hybrid or meet in person, or decide at a later date to access any USC property, you are required to meet the vaccine policy and Trojan Check requirements before coming to campus.

If you are currently outside the U.S. and unable to completed the vaccination requirement due to scarcity, please complete the Scarcity Exemption Form.

Employees in the United States, including remote workers, are required to comply with the COVID-19 vaccine policy.

Within 5-7 business days, your vaccination record will be verified.

Your Trojan Check status will be updated as the data synchronizes with your MySHR record.

Yes, all USC students and employees are eligible to receive vaccinations for COVID-19 at the UPC campus through USC Pharmacies. There is no out-of-pocket costs for students and employees.

You are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the final dose of a two-dose vaccine, such as the Pfizer or Moderna, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson.

Yes, Trojan Check must be completed before visiting any USC campus.

No; please upload as soon as you have completed your vaccination/s.  If you received your vaccine from Keck or USC Student Health, your vaccination records will be automatically entered into the electronic health record within 7 days; no need to upload.

All faculty, staff, and students are require to be in compliance with the COVID-19 vaccination policy.

Any unvaccinated person, including those with an approved Religious or Medical exemption, will be subject to additional requirements, including but not limited to a requirement to wear a mask indoor on all USC campuses, and to participate in regular testing (every 72 hours).

Send an email to covid19@usc.edu with your name and USC ID number describing the problem, screenshots may be helpful. You may also call the Covid response center at 213-740-6291 or Student Health at 213-740-9355.

We are accepting all international COVID-19 vaccines that have received EUA through the World Health Organization (WHO). We are continually evaluating efficacy data for other vaccines and further recommendations on additional doses of a COVID-19 vaccine may be updated in the future.

Yes, you may receive an additional vaccine (Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson) after 28 days have passed since your previous COVID-19 vaccine.

No, your record must be updated with documentation that meets one of the new exemption criteria. You can upload an exemption form in MySHR (https://usc.edu/myshr)

Decisions by the review committee will be individually communicated within two weeks.

Individuals who are granted exemptions will be required to test regularly through the Pop Testing program (every 72 hours).

Individuals who do not have approved exemptions will be considered out of compliance with the University’s policies and may be subject to revocation of access to campus (including technology platforms) among other actions.

All USC students, faculty and staff will be required to continue a daily symptom check (through trojancheck.usc.edu). Valid Trojan Check requires:

1. Training completion of the appropriate “Hygiene Health and Safety” module (prerequisite, one-time, available August 1) through trojanlearn.usc.edu
2. Daily symptom check with attestation
3. Compliance with the COVID-19 vaccine policy through vaccination, or approved medical or religious exemption.
4. Compliance with seasonal flu immunization policy.

Based on the revised policy, faculty, staff, and students have the option of:

• Receiving vaccination on-site when eligible, or
• Providing written documentation of vaccination from an external healthcare facility or clinic (e.g., at a private health care provider’s office or during a vaccine fair), or
• Obtaining an approved religious or medical exemption:  Fill out the appropriate Religious or Medical exemption form and submit it to MySHR. Please allow 14 days for your request to be reviewed.