It would be hard to overstate the impact of vaccination on personal and public health. One of modern medicine’s greatest success stories, vaccination is estimated to prevent 4-5 million deaths every year, and incalculable amounts of suffering. Much of the doubling of life expectancy over the last century is due to development and availability of vaccines.

This year, the vaccines most on our minds, of course, have been the COVID-19 vaccines. NYU’s remarkable 98% vaccination rate is an impressive community accomplishment for which we thank you.

But that should be the starting point, not the stopping point. I strongly urge members of our community to stay up-to-date with all age appropriate vaccination, and getting vaccinated against the flu is especially important this year.

It might seem easy to shrug off the flu, particularly in the midst of a coronavirus pandemic; however, it is still very important to be vaccinated against the flu.

The CDC estimates that millions of Americans get sick with flu each year and that tens of thousands of people in the US die of flu annually. Getting the flu this year, in addition to taxing already burdened healthcare systems, could compound the effects of any COVID infection you might get.  

So, get your annual flu vaccination before the end of October. It’s the best way to protect yourself and others from getting the flu, and from getting very sick with flu or needing hospitalization.  

Check out the CDC’s FAQs about flu and COVID-19 for everything you need to know about this year’s flu season.

And remember: NYU offers free flu shots for students and employees. You can also get a free or low cost vaccine at most pharmacies, urgent care clinics, or through your healthcare provider.

Booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine were recently authorized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration — only for certain people who: 

Booster vaccines are not currently available for those who received Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, or WHO-listed vaccines.
 
Eligible NYU students, faculty, and employees can schedule an appointment at NYU’s on-campus vaccination site. Booster shots are widely available at most pharmacies, urgent care clinics, or through your healthcare provider.
 
You do not need to upload your proof of booster at this time.  
 
— Dr. Carlo Ciotoli, MD, MPA, Exec. Lead, NYU’s COVID-19 Prevention & Response Team