Our expectation is that students, faculty and staff wear masks while indoors, in line with CDC guidance and with Florida’s State University System and to help protect our campus community. However, neither the university nor individual faculty and staff members may require individuals to wear masks if they choose not to do so. The exception to this involves health-care facilities such as the Student Health Center, UCF Health, and Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), which still require face coverings inside their buildings. Additionally, as a simulated clinical environment, the Clinical Skills and Simulation Center at the College of Medicine also requires face coverings.
Yes, Student Health Services offers the Pfizer vaccine, including booster shots, to faculty, staff and students, including students who live out of state. They are available at no cost at the Student Health Center or at a convenient location near you.
UCF offers the two-dose Pfizer shot series as well as Pfizer booster shots.
Anyone who completed their initial Pfizer vaccine series at least five months ago, completed their Moderna series at least six months ago or received their Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago is eligible for a booster.
No. UCF has ordered enough face coverings for all students and faculty and staff members, and they will be available throughout the summer and fall semesters.
UCF continues to encourage our campus community to follow CDC guidelines after you have been vaccinated. Doing so will help to protect you, your loved ones and your fellow Knights.
None of the COVID-19 vaccines currently in use in the U.S. use the live virus that causes COVID-19. The goal of vaccination is to teach our immune systems how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. Sometimes this process can cause symptoms, such as fever. These symptoms are normal and are a sign that the body is building immunity.
UCF Card Services is open for students and employees in need of a new or replacement UCF Card.
New students who have not yet received their UCF ID will receive their face covering in conjunction with distribution of their UCF Cards later this summer.
The CDC recommends vaccinations regardless of whether an individual has previously had COVID-19. Reinfections do occur, and vaccines offer protection against severe illness and hospitalization. Getting sick with COVID-19 may offer some protection from future illness with COVID-19, sometimes called “natural immunity.” However, no currently available test can reliably determine if a person is protected from infection.
It is recommended that the face coverings are washed by hand with mild liquid detergent after each day’s use and then hung dry.
The CDC states that any vaccine can cause side effects. For the most part these are minor, for example, a sore arm or low-grade fever that go away within a few days.
There is no mandate to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and UCF is not collecting any proof of vaccination status. However, all eligible individuals are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated as soon as they are able. In addition to protecting each recipient against infection, it is essential that a large enough percentage of the population receives the vaccine in order to achieve “herd immunity” to prevent continued spread of the virus causing COVID-19. We must each play our part in this process, as we have in the past with vaccines to eliminate the threat of polio, measles and other viral infections.
Disposable masks will be provided to building liaisons for distribution upon request, and more information will be shared with those individuals in the coming weeks.
More information is listed in the COVID-19 Return to Campus Policy.
You can send an email to covid19questions@ucf.edu and we will follow up with you.
No. UCF is committed to protecting your privacy. The symptoms you indicate in the self-checker will not be shared or stored in any system of record.
The request to wear masks can be simple: “Please wear masks in this class for the protection of yourselves and those around you who may be at higher risk from COVID complications.” Or, you may add personal reasons that this is a matter of concern to you, such as living with someone who is immunocompromised and at higher risk. Please be certain that you are asking, not attempting to mandate.
No, but the self-checker remains available in the UCF Mobile app and online as a tool for screening symptoms, and we encourage students, faculty, staff and campus visitors to use it.
Increased cleaning and classroom disinfections will continue, along with access to hand-sanitizing stations. During the pandemic, many touchless faucets, paper-towel dispensers and step-and-pull door openers were installed in high-touch areas. Additionally, HVAC systems across UCF’s campuses also have been upgraded over the past year to mitigate the spread of pathogens through the air.
UCF continues to provide the COVID Line for reporting positive cases and the optional COVID Self-Checker remains available. We continue to monitor the virus, including through wastewater testing and genomic surveillance.
Those with limitations due to a medical condition that qualify for an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) can request an accommodation by completing the Reasonable Accommodation Request form and submitting it to the Office of Institutional Equity. For more information about the accommodation request process, please visit the OIE website.
Note that being at increased risk of severe illness related to COVID-19 alone does not qualify for an accommodation under the ADA.
If you lost your CDC COVID-19 Vaccination card or don’t have a copy, contact your vaccination provider directly. Students, faculty and staff who received their vaccine from Student Health Services can stop by the Health Center and ask to speak with a Nurse Facilitator for assistance.