Primary Care Health Service

COVID-19 vaccination will help protect you from getting COVID-19. You may have some side effects, which are normal signs that your body is building protection. These side effects may affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days. Many people have no side effects at all.

Common Side Effects

At the Site of the Injection

 • Pain

 • Redness 

• Swelling 

Throughout the Rest of Your Body:

 • Tiredness

 • Headache 

• Muscle pain

 • Chills

 • Fever

 • Nausea

Helpful Tips 

If you have pain or discomfort after getting your vaccine, it is generally safe to use an over-the-counter medicine, such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen. 

To reduce pain and discomfort where you got the shot:

 • Apply a clean, cool, wet washcloth over the area.

 • Use or exercise your arm. 

To reduce discomfort from fever:

 • Drink plenty of fluids.

 • Dress lightly.

In most cases, discomfort from fever or pain is normal. 

Contact PCHS or a Healthcare Provider: 

• If the redness or tenderness where you got the shot increases after 24 hours 

• If your side effects are worrying you or do not seem to be going away after a few days 

Please see these CDC links for more detailed information:

• Video on What to Expect After Receiving a  COVID 19 vaccine
• Information Sheet on what to expect a receiving a COVID vaccine
   

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Updates on Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine  
The "pause" on the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine has been lifted by the FDA and CDC following a thorough safety review. The pause was recommended after reports of six cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals who received the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine.

After an extensive review of all available data and consultation with medical experts the two agencies have determined that the J&J vaccine is safe and effective in preventing COVID 19, that the available data show the vaccine's known and potential benefits outweigh it's known and potential risks in individuals 18 and older and that use of the J&J vaccine should be resumed in the United states.

This pause was an indication of just how cautious the CDC is being about oversight of the safety of these vaccines, that they paused the distribution of a vaccine because of a side effect that occurred literally in one in a million cases. The Moderna and the Pfizer vaccines have not demonstrated any increased risk of blood clots.

For more information please see this CDC Fact Sheet for Recipients and Caregivers, which includes information about receiving the J&J vaccine.

And please see this CDC link for more detailed information about the lifting of the pause: 

FDA and CDC Lift Recommended Pause on Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine Use Following Thorough Safety Review

The Barnard Primary Care Health Service recognizes that serious illness will not always be confined to weekday, daytime hours. 

For those urgent or potentially dangerous situations that cannot wait until Primary Care re-opens, telephone advice is available after hours.

This service is not intended for the following:

• Contraception refill requests
• Referral requests
• Location and operation hours of PCHS requests
• Scheduling/Confirming/Canceling appointment requests
• Vaccine information requests

The Clinician On-Call is only available when the Primary Care Health Service is NOT open.

• During regular business hours, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Monday - Friday, please call Primary Care directly at 1-212-854-2091.
• To access the Clinician-on-Call please call 1-855-622-1903.

We hope you stay healthy day and night… but if an after-hours emergency arises, the Clinician On-Call is available to help.

• All enrolled students who are accessing campus for the spring 2021 semester are expected to have received an influenza/ flu vaccine before coming to campus.

• Please have this form completed if you received your influenza/flu vaccine from a provider other than PCHS.  Please scan this form and email it to pchstravel@barnard.edu

Influenza/Flu Documentation Form

• If you are requesting a medical or religious exemption from the vaccine, please submit these forms to pchstravel@barnard.edu

Influenza/Flu Vaccine Exemption Form

For any questions or concerns, please email pchstravel@barnard.edu

• 2020-2021 Aetna Student Health Insurance waiver link
• Student Insurance Info
• Frequently Asked Questions

We are continually monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic, along with our partners at Columbia University Health systems and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH). The health and well-being of all members of our community is our top priority. Below is information about transmission, symptoms, diagnosis for the virus, preventive measures, and resources to contact immediately if you have any symptoms.

Transmission: Like other coronaviruses, this new virus is spread through respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing, but can also be transmitted on surfaces such as handles and knobs.

Symptoms:

• Fever (>100.4F)
• Runny nose
• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Headache
• Sore throat
• Inability to smell and/or taste
• General feeling of being unwell

Faculty/Staff: Anyone experiencing symptoms is strongly encouraged to contact a medical provider over the phone to discuss their symptoms. 

Students: Whether you are local or not, students are free to discuss your symptoms with a provider in Primary Care who can direct you to either self-monitoring or to seeking an in-person evaluation of your symptoms. Please call us at 212-854-2091 during the hours of 9:30-4pm EST, Monday-Friday. If it is not during these hours, you can call the Clinician-on-call at 877-788-8819. 

Preventive Measures: There is currently no vaccine to prevent this virus. The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed. Below are the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) recommended preventive measures to help control the spread of respiratory pathogens:

• Stay home!  Keep at least 6 feet away from others as much as possible.  As difficult as this may be, this has been shown to be most protective.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Especially avoid close contact with anyone who is sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
• Wear a cloth or paper mask/covering over your nose and mouth if you must go outside.  This does not replace all of the above precautions, but it can possibly add additional protection for you and for others around you.  Please do not use an N95 respirator – this should be reserved for health care providers only.  If you have a reserve of these, please donate these to your local hospital or urgent care clinic.  This can be life-saving for those on the front lines!

Location:

Lower Level Brooks Hall

» Campus accessibility map

Phone: 1-212-854-2091
Fax: 1-212-854-2702

Hours:

The PCHS is open for clinical care during the academic year. We are closed for all College holidays.

For more information about our clinical hours please click here.

Administrative Hours:

Monday - Thursday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday: 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM

The PCHS closes every Thursday from 11:00 AM - 1:30 PM for a staff meeting.

Open Communicator Link

• Insurance Information: Printing Your Aetna Student Health Card, Claim Forms & Waiver Link
• Open Communicator: Online Appointments, Secure Messaging, Forms
• Medical Records and Authorization to Release Medical Records Form
• End of Life, Advanced Directives & Health Care Proxy Form