Dear UCSF Community,
Next week, UCSF will begin offering COVID-19 vaccine booster shots based on guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with support from the California Department of Public Health.
These booster shots provide extended protection against COVID-19, especially among those at increased risk for hospitalization and severe disease, including those over age 65, those with compromised immune systems, and those who work in health care settings.
We continue to urge everyone 12 years of age and older to be vaccinated against COVID-19, since unvaccinated persons remain at much higher risk of severe disease and death from COVID-19 than those who have been vaccinated.
Currently, the federal authorization for a booster dose is limited to use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The CDC recommends that a single Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster dose be given at least 6 months after a person received their second Pfizer dose. The CDC does not recommend giving Pfizer vaccine booster shots to those who have received Janssen or Moderna vaccines.
Beginning Monday, Oct. 4, 2021, we will provide Pfizer booster doses to persons who received the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine in March 2021 or earlier who are:
- Age 65 years and older or residing in a long-term care facility, or;
- Age 50 through 64 years with underlying medical conditions or at increased risk of social inequities;
- Age 18 through 64 years with underlying medical conditions, such as cancer, or at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting, including those who work in health care settings...
Dear UCSF Community,
As we head into influenza season, I am writing to emphasize that it is critically important to get a flu vaccine to avoid the risk of contracting the influenza virus.
We encourage everyone to be vaccinated to protect not only yourself and your family, but also our colleagues, our patients, and our neighboring communities. Please also remember to wear masks while indoors and when in crowded places outdoors, as well as to clean your hands regularly.
A normal flu season combined with a surge of COVID-19 could have an overwhelming impact on our health system, especially as we are experiencing a staffing shortage. We ask for your support by getting a flu vaccine to help keep our frontline care providers and all other faculty, staff, learners, and patients healthy this fall.
As a reminder, the San Francisco and Alameda Departments of Public Health require all health care workers to receive the annual influenza vaccine or to sign a form if they choose to decline vaccination.
You have a variety of options and locations available to get your vaccine, including on-site flu clinics, Occupational Health clinics, your primary care provider, and most pharmacies. Please visit the Occupational Health Services website for a full list of on-site clinic locations and dates, as well as additional free options for members of UC health plans. Please note that at this time, we...
Dear Members of the UCSF Community,
As many of you know, last week the Supreme Court voted not to block Texas law SB8, which bans abortion after six weeks, including in instances of rape and incest. The law – a near-total ban on abortion and one of the strictest in the country – sets a deeply concerning precedent for other states. The law is uniquely insidious in that it is enforced by incentivizing private citizens with a $10,000 bounty to sue people who provide abortion care or help those who need it.
As leaders of an organization committed to improving the health of our communities and advancing health worldwide, we denounce this law. It attacks our deeply held values of health equality and dignity for all people, and for evidence-based health care.
This law infringes on basic human rights to reproductive autonomy and will have a disproportionate impact on vulnerable communities. History shows that laws like this result in greater numbers of women managing their own abortions, which could put them at risk for criminalization, or facing the health and economic risks of carrying unwanted pregnancies to term.
UCSF has a proud history of advocating for reproductive health and education – providing exemplary patient care to all women, especially those who face barriers due to systematic oppression; training and inspiring the next generation of reproductive health leaders; and improving policy and practice through research and scholarship.
As informed citizens, we have a duty to call out and work to eliminate laws that disadvantage our fellow people. And as health care professionals, we have a duty to advocate for evidence-based, comprehensive health care, including...