Vaccination for International Affiliates

International affiliates who received a COVID vaccine that is not FDA-approved are required to register their base doses in the Vaccination Management System (VMS). Once you have been fully vaccinated and boosted, you should log back into the VMS and upload your new vaccination documentation. Affiliates who work or study in the School of Medicine should continue to follow Johns Hopkins Medicine policies.

If you were vaccinated with a non-FDA-approved vaccine (e.g., Sinopharm, Sinovac, etc.), you are immediately eligible for a booster (you may wait 28 days following your last dose). Only one booster dose (either Pfizer or Moderna) is required for those individuals.

For more information, visit the section of the FAQ page pertaining to the vaccine mandate for international students.

For help uploading your non-FDA vaccination documentation, email VMS@jhu.edu.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which vaccines are accepted?

JHU accepts both FDA-approved vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, J&J/Janssen, Novavax) and vaccines administered outside the U.S.; Johns Hopkins Medicine (including the JHU School of Medicine) only accepts FDA-authorized COVID vaccines. In addition, all JHU affiliates must receive an mRNA Covid booster (either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) as soon as they are eligible (the booster is not required for School of Medicine affiliates). All vaccination documentation must be uploaded to the Vaccine Management System (VMS).

Only mRNA boosters (Pfizer/Moderna) will be accepted. If you already received a J&J booster, you may wait six months to get the mRNA booster. If you were vaccinated with a non-FDA-approved vaccine (e.g., Sinopharm, Sinovac, etc.), you are immediately eligible for a booster (you may wait 28 days following your last dose). Only one booster dose (either Pfizer or Moderna) is required for those individuals.

Last updated: Aug 1, 2022 2:45pm

What should I do if I only need a second dose, because I received a first dose of an FDA-authorized vaccine while living abroad?

For those who may have received a first dose of an FDA-authorized vaccine abroad and only need to receive a second dose of an FDA-authorized vaccine, please be sure to bring any paperwork you have that shows the vaccination information and date of vaccination. After you are vaccinated, you must upload proof of both vaccines in one submission. (The Vaccine Management System allows submission of multiple documents, so please submit any proof of vaccine and English translations for documents in languages other than English.)

While you are permitted to be vaccinated at any U.S. pharmacy or other vaccination location, it may be easiest to get a second dose through Johns Hopkins University or Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Last updated: March 9, 2022 5:05pm

Can I receive only one dose of an FDA vaccine as a booster if I have already been vaccinated with a non-FDA vaccine?

Yes, individuals who work or study outside of the School of Medicine may receive one booster dose of an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna).

If you work or study in the School of Medicine, you must follow Johns Hopkins Health System guidance and are required to be revaccinated with an FDA-approved vaccine (Pfizer, Moderna, or J&J).

Last updated: Jan 12, 2022 3:50pm