Tufts Medical and Dental Students Start to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine

Student at Tufts Medical Center receives vaccine for Covid-19

Beginning on Jan. 6, some medical and dental students at Tufts started receiving the first dose of COVID-19 vaccines. Third- and fourth-year medical students and dental students involved in direct patient care are eligible to receive the vaccine based on CDC and Massachusetts state criteria.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were offered at Tufts Medical Center Jan. 5-7. The vaccinations come in a two-shot sequence; second shots will take place three or four weeks after the first shots, depending on which vaccine is used.

Shayna Rubenstein, M21, a fourth-year medical student, gets her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at Tufts Medical Center on Jan. 7. Photo: Alonso Nichols

Shayna Rubenstein, M21, a fourth-year medical student, gets her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at Tufts Medical Center on Jan. 7. Photo: Alonso Nichols

“While the CDC and the Commonwealth have not mandated the vaccine for health-care workers, we strongly urge you to receive it,” the School of Medicine wrote to eligible students. Tufts medical students on rotations in Maine were likewise eligible for the vaccine.

All those vaccinated are expected to continue to follow the university’s public health safety protocols, including continuing to wear masks in public spaces, wearing appropriate PPE such as N95 masks and goggles in patient care settings, following social distancing guidelines, and practicing proper handwashing hygiene.

Jessica Serventi-Gleeson, M22, receives a COVID-19 vaccine at Tufts Medical Center on Jan. 7. Photo: Alonso Nichols

Jessica Serventi-Gleeson, M22, receives a COVID-19 vaccine at Tufts Medical Center on Jan. 7. Photo: Alonso Nichols

Likewise, mandatory routine weekly COVID-19 surveillance testing will continue for students after they are vaccinated, as it is not yet known whether the vaccine protects people from transmitting the virus to others and how long immunity lasts.