On March 1, additional people in the state of Wisconsin were eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines. University Health Services offers vaccinations to campus community members who meet the requirements and according to the admission of the vaccine as soon as possible. UHS will email you if an appointment is available for you. Please check your wisc.edu email address.
Anyone who meets the state’s admissions can also make vaccinations through their health care providers or other vaccination providers in the community.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, eligible groups include:
- Staff in educational institutions, such as those in childcare and faculties and staff in higher education institutions who have direct contact with students;
- Food supply chain staff;
- Some utility and communications infrastructure workers;
- Public transport employees; and
- Non-frontline health care essential staff.
At UW – Madison, there are far more individuals currently eligible than there are currently vaccines available. Every week, UHS receives a vaccine award from the state, which determines how many appointments the campus can offer.
Because UHS is unable to offer appointments to all eligible candidates immediately, campuses use priority guidelines provided by the state, which consider the risk of exposure and vulnerability to COVID-19.
From this week, UHS can offer appointments for:
- Faculty, staff and teaching assistants are currently engaged in personal teaching, ages 45 and older
- Housing and dining room staff 45 years and older
- All childcare and supervision staff
Student teachers participating in K-12 education are vaccinated by Madison and Dane County for public health.
UHS continues to offer vaccination to previously eligible individuals, including those who care for direct roles in patients, those who are directly exposed to the virus or virus samples, and to active members aged 65 and older. Since early January, UHS has provided nearly 10,000 surveys of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Modern vaccines to employees and students.
The vaccine supply is likely to increase by next month, and UHS expects to offer vaccination to all faculties and staff by the end of May. All students are expected to have access to vaccination by the beginning of autumn.
“We want to get shots in the arms as soon as possible,” said Carol Griggs, director of operations at UHS. “We know a lot of people on campus are eager to be vaccinated, and we’re asking for a little more patience until more vaccines are available.”
UHS, the Human Resources Office, and others worked with the pastor’s office and individual schools and colleges to identify eligible campus members. UHS also evaluated the suitability on a case-by-case basis.
If you have not yet received an email inviting you to make a vaccine, it is probably because the university has not yet received enough vaccine to offer it to your population. However, inquiries sent to UHS will be reviewed. Please be patient, as a small number of staff review a large amount of emails.
Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines require two doses for the full protection they offer. A third vaccine from Johnson and Johnson is a one-vaccine. All three vaccines have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergencies, a special designation to use safe and effective medical treatments in times of urgency, such as during a pandemic.
The current COVID-19 vaccines have been supplied to tens of millions of Americans since December 2020 and are very safe and very effective in preventing vaccines from contracting COVID-19, or in developing serious diseases. A small number of people can still contract the disease after being vaccinated, but are much less likely to require hospitalization. There is early evidence that vaccines have also drastically reduced COVID-19 mortality rates.
“We encourage everyone to be vaccinated if given the opportunity,” said Jake Baggott, co-vice chancellor and executive director of UHS. ‘If you are not sure if the vaccine is suitable for you, talk to your supervisor, your ward-disabled representative or a trusted colleague who has been vaccinated. Getting your COVID-19 vaccine is the best way to protect you and those you love from the disease. ”
COVID-19 vaccination is currently not required for UW-Madison students or employees, although employees are welcome to make vaccines during business hours. UHS offers modified clinic hours and additional support to second and third shift workers. Once you are invited to make a vaccination appointment, you will not lose the chance if you do not make one right away.
Answers to other common questions:
What does it mean to have direct contact with students?
Anyone who works at the university and works with students meets the definition of direct contact with students. This means everyone, from instructors to researchers supervising students and staff who perform campus duties and work with students. Because the supply of vaccines is limited, UHS is starting to offer vaccines to those who are currently working personally with students. Employees who work with students and are currently performing their duties remotely will be offered at a later date, or they can be vaccinated through a healthcare provider or in the community, such as through a pharmacy.
I was vaccinated outside the campus. How can I notify UHS?
Individuals who are vaccinated off-campus and who want to ensure that their vaccination is submitted to UHS should take the following steps once they have both doses of a two-dose vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) or a single-dose vaccine (Johnson and Johnson). ):
It can take up to five business days for the record to be reflected in your MyUHS account.
UHS hosted a recorded town hall on March 4, and captions are also available: go.wisc.edu/vaccinechat. A second town hall will take place on March 18 from 12:00 to 1: go.wisc.edu/campusvaccinechat.
For answers to many more COVID-19 questions, including vaccine questions, visit: https://news.wisc.edu/tag/covid-questions/
For more information on UW – Madison’s response to COVID-19, including a transparent UK database, visit: https://covidresponse.wisc.edu/
For more information on vaccines, COVID-19, or to contact University Health Services, visit: https://covidresponse.wisc.edu/covid-19-vaccine-information/