Milan Singh, Contributing Photographer

On Nov. 3 and Nov. 10, pop-up clinics for students to receive updated COVID-19 booster shots drew long lines outside of Sterling Memorial Library on Cross Campus.

Open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the clinics were designed to help students comply with the University’s requirement that students obtain a bivalent booster shot by the start of the spring semester unless approved for a medical or religious exemption. The new vaccines, designed to protect against the possibility of a winter wave, received FDA approval in August. The CDC recommends the shot for anyone over the age of five who last received a COVID-19 vaccine two months ago or more. Per the New York Times, less than 9 percent of those who are fully vaccinated — one shot of Johnson & Johnson or two shots of Pfizer or Moderna — have received a bivalent booster.

 “I was walking back with a group of friends and asked if anyone wanted to come see if it was worth going then because I don’t really know where else I would get the booster before the requirement deadline,” Victoria DeMersseman ’25 told the News. “Overall, I think we waited close to 50 minutes but it honestly didn’t feel that long since I had a friend.”

Max Johnson ’25 also mentioned the wait-time to receive a shot, noting that the lines “were intimidating at first but the clinic was efficient so it moved along relatively fast.”

Maya Khurana ’24 emphasized the value of having an easy and convenient place to get the shot.

“Even though it was a bit of a wait, I would say it was worth it to be able to get my booster shot on campus, and I was very appreciative of all the staff and clinicians who made the pop-up clinic possible.” Khurana told the News. “Things like booster shots are so important for us but they can easily slip through the cracks of a busy schedule, so having clinics in a central location on campus is a great way to make sure that students are able to take care of themselves to the best of their abilities.”

Khurana expressed her hope that Yale would continue to have booster pop-up clinics on campus in the coming weeks and “streamline the process a little more.”

Lisa Kimmel, director of wellness and education for Being Well at Yale, said that the two pop-up events were a pilot designed to gauge interest in on-campus walk-in vaccination clinics. 

“While the Yale COVID-19 Vaccine Program has been providing a vaccination clinic at its 310 Winchester Ave. location for well over a year, organizing pop-up booster clinics offered us an opportunity to pilot walk-in clinics closer to students on campus,” Kimmel wrote in an email to the News. “Feedback from students at both clinics was overwhelmingly positive.”  

Kimmel noted that while they had planned for high demand, turnout exceeded their expectations. 

The University requires students to receive an updated, bivalent booster by Jan. 31, 2023. Students can make an appointment for the vaccination location at 310 Winchester Ave. by either using the YaleHealth website or calling 202-432-6604 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.