Dear UCSF Community,

The Food and Drug Administration approved and authorized the updated Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines and last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that everyone ages six months and older get them. A new COVID-19 vaccine is recommended if one has not been received in the past two months.

This updated COVID-19 vaccine is designed to provide protection against more recently circulating variants and to reduce the risk of severe COVID-19 disease. I recommend that everyone in our UCSF community receive the updated COVID-19 vaccine as it becomes available through local pharmacies or your health care provider. At the present time, UCSF will not be providing this vaccine for faculty, staff or students. UCSF Health expects to get shipments of updated COVID-19 vaccines for our patients soon.

As a reminder, UCSF also encourages everyone to get a flu vaccine by Nov. 1, 2023. Members of the UCSF community can get a flu vaccine at one of several UCSF locations.

While vaccines can reduce the risks of contracting COVID-19 and flu, they do not eliminate them. Public health officials strongly recommend that everyone take the following actions to protect themselves and others from illness:  

• Stay home when sick and stay away from others who are sick.    
• Practice good hygiene: wash hands, cover coughs and sneezes, and avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.  
• Keep a well-fitted mask on hand for added protection in crowded indoor spaces. 
• Have COVID-19 test kits at home to identify infection so you can protect yourself and others.  
• Increase ventilation or air filtration when indoors if possible.   
• Discuss with your care provider in advance whether you might benefit from treatment with medicine for flu or for COVID-19, as these medicines must be started early. If so, have a plan for how you would obtain treatment if needed.  

I appreciate everyone doing their part to protect our UCSF community and the patients and communities we serve in the months ahead. 

Sincerely,

Joshua Adler
Chief Clinical Officer
UCSF Health