COVID-19 Information for Patients and Visitors

COVID-19 Therapies and Vaccines

COVID-19 therapies can help your immune system fight a COVID-19 infection, while vaccines help prevent infection. If you are not already fully vaccinated, we strongly encourage you to get the COVID-19 vaccine to protect yourself and your loved ones.

Learn more about COVID-19 therapies and vaccines

Your health and safety are our top priorities. Here is the latest information you need to know before visiting any of our locations.

Prescreening

Before Your Appointment

If you have a respiratory illness or any COVID-like symptoms, please call your Dana-Farber doctor's office before your appointment. We want to know if you have any cold, flu, or COVID-like symptoms, including:

  • Fever
  • Sore throat
  • Cough
  • Runny nose/nasal congestion
  • Muscle aches
  • Loss of smell or taste
  • Shortness of breath

Contact us if you're unsure or have any questions. You can call 617-632-3000 or find your doctor's number in our online directory.

Day of Your Appointment

Everyone who comes to Dana-Farber is screened for COVID-19 symptoms. Before you arrive, use our online prescreening app. You'll receive a digital pass to show when you enter.

If you don't have a smartphone or can't access the app, we'll help you complete the screening process when you arrive.

Face Masks

After careful review of our policy and levels of respiratory illness in the community, Dana-Farber ended universal face masking at all of our locations on July 31.

  • Wearing a face mask during your Dana-Farber visit is optional, unless you have symptoms of respiratory illness that may be related to cold, flu, or COVID-19.
  • Masks will still be required in certain clinical situations, such as if you have cold or flu symptoms, if you have recently had COVID-19, or you've had a known COVID-19 exposure in the last 10 days.
  • We encourage you to still wear a mask if that is your preference. Our policy no longer requires staff to wear a mask at all times, but your care team will respect your wishes in wearing a mask during extended clinical care.
  • Wearing a mask may be required or recommended by your care team based on your health and treatment. For example, masks are typically advised for stem cell transplant patients for one year after transplant.
  • Face masks are available at our entrances and hygiene stations for your use. You can wear our mask by itself or over your own mask.

We have taken a cautious, deliberate approach to this change, and we will continue to monitor levels of respiratory illness in the community and adjust our policy when needed.

Visitors

All companions and patients need to use our prescreen app before entering any of our locations. We ask that patients in clinic areas limit visitors to two at a time, due to space constraints and the privacy of other patients. Please review our outpatient visitor policy for full details about bringing a companion to Dana-Farber.