Those eligible include anyone 18 and older who received the initial one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine more than two months ago and students who live in university-run housing and received the two-shot Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least six months ago.

So, on a recent Tuesday, students and staff found their way to a UB-run clinic in Talbert Hall, where they waited in line for their booster. The on-campus flu and COVID-19 vaccination clinics are being extended until Dec. 16. The clinics are taking Thanksgiving week off, but will resume on Nov. 30. The locations and days/times remain the same. UB also hosts a New York State vaccination site in Harriman Hall on the South Campus.

Julie Jones, a staff member in the School of Law: “My doctor recommended it,” she says of the booster. “They say the initial shot loses its efficacy after six months, so I just want to keep that protection … It makes me feel safer getting it.”

Vijayananda Kodadala, a graduate student in management information systems: “I have an autoimmune disease, so I want to get a booster – just to be sure,” he says. While he was at it, Kodadala rolled up his sleeve to get a flu shot, too.

Nikoleta Antoniou, a senior psychology major, already had COVID once — fortunately it wasn’t that bad — but she doesn’t need to get sick again. “Or transmit to older people who might have symptoms worse than me,” she says. “I believe the vaccine helps us to be safer and to not transmit the virus further,” Antoniou says. “Also, it’s for convenience. Many of the things we have to do in life require us to be vaccinated.”

Ambre Amat, a junior environmental geosciences major, expects a booster to help her maintain a semi-normal lifestyle amid the pandemic, whether it’s to run errands or travel home to France. She’s concerned about public apathy toward the virus as the pandemic wears on. “I think it’s not being taken as seriously as it used to be,” Amat says. “Everyone thinks COVID is like an old story — but it’s still here.”