Right, nurse Linda Johnson, university health services, vaccinates Angla Schelvan, a veterinarian at the School of Veterinary Medicine, on March 10, 2021 with the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine for COVID-19 at the Nicholas Recreation Center. UHS vaccinates as many members who are eligible for the UW-Madison community as are provided weekly by the state, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Photo: Jeff Miller
Since January 5, when University Health Services first began delivering COVID-19 shots to the campus community, UHS has been emailing employees and students to invite those who are eligible to plan their vaccination appointments. Due to wider eligible population and increasing availability of vaccines, UHS has created a new process that does not rely on email.
From Monday 15 March, students and staff will use their MyUHS account – found here: go.wisc.edu/myuhscovidvax – as a portal to access eligibility and appointment options information. The campus will also continue to share regular news updates on vaccine admission.
UHS is expanding appointments this week to all non-student employees who work in person. These employees have the option to schedule a vaccination appointment at UHS, which offers the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, or through this week a partnership with SSM Health in Dane County, which offers the one-dose Johnson and Johnson. Janssen vaccine at his clinic on Fish Hatchery Road in Madison.
Visitors to the MyUHS portal will log in with their NetID and password and their date of birth. To check availability and schedule an appointment, individuals should look for the following and click on the word “appointment” or tap to start: “2. Plan an appointment for a vaccination against COVID-19.” Series of directions will serve as a guideline.
On the left, Stacy Kegel, a nurse at the University’s Health Services (UHS), talks to Pazong Chang, a member of UW – Madison’s Preservation Staff at Facilities Planning and Management, after giving Chang the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine. Photo: Jeff Miller
Employees who are unable to get an appointment at UHS this week should come and see again next week, or they should follow the instructions for appointments with SSM, which offers hours for vaccination on Wednesday 17 March; Friday, March 19; and Sunday, March 21st.
There are more staff members employed than UHS vaccine supplies are being provided to this week, although UHS still expects to receive additional inventory. Graduate and undergraduate student employees with personal roles will be offered appointments the week of March 22 and must then gain access to the MyUHS portal.
Employees working remotely will receive vaccine in the coming weeks. Eligible members of the campus community may also seek out vaccination appointments through health care providers and other off-campus providers, such as pharmacies.
Personal Instructors at UW – Madison, including graduate teaching assistants and student teachers fulfilling K-12 roles, have already been offered by UHS or through a partnership with Madison and Dane County.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services allocates vaccine supplies to UW each week – Madison and UHS preferred to vaccinate as many campus members as possible. Like other vaccines in Wisconsin, UHS vaccinates as many people as possible with its weekly supply, but cannot immediately give shots to everyone.
To date, UHS has delivered more than 10,000 COVID-19 shots to qualifying members of the campus community. This includes the first and second dose.
As fitness increases and more vaccines become available, UHS can offer vaccines to more members of the campus community. Photo: Jeff Miller
The state of Wisconsin determines who is eligible to receive vaccinations. Following government requirements, UHS offered appointments to employees and students who:
- perform direct roles for patient care;
- have direct contact with the SARS-CoV-2 virus or virus samples;
- are active members of the age of 65 years and older;
- are employees of the University of Wisconsin Police Department;
- faculty, staff and teaching assistants are currently engaged in personal teaching;
- are staff of housing and eateries of 45 years and older;
- are childcare and supervision staff
UHS, the Human Resources Office, and others worked with the pastor’s office and schools and colleges to identify eligible campus members.
Since March 1, all staff in educational institutions according to DHS have been eligible, including faculties and staff in higher education institutions with direct student contact. Everyone at UW – Madison who works with students meets the definition of direct student contact.
However, while the vaccine supply is limited, DHS requires that anyone working from home and not communicating with the public should first allow other Wisconsinites at higher risk for exposure to COVID-19 access vaccines.
From March 29, DHS will expand its suitability for individuals with certain medical conditions associated with an increased risk of serious diseases due to COVID-19. UHS will provide additional information to the campus community as this date approaches, although individuals will be instructed to use the MyUHS portal.
UHS primarily received the two-dose COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech, and community partners who have offered vaccinations to employees and students over the past few weeks were able to offer the one-vaccine Johnson and Johnson Janssen vaccine. UHS has also received limited supplies from Moderna in the past.
Each vaccine has been shown in clinical trials to be highly safe and effective in preventing vaccines from contracting COVID-19, contracting serious diseases, and dying from the disease. The vaccines have been supplied to tens of millions of Americans since December 2020. Adverse reactions to the vaccines are rare. Some people report no side effects from the vaccines, although many mild side effects, such as injection site pain, and fatigue, are reported.
The COVID-19 pandemic has killed more than 534,000 Americans since March 2020. The vaccines were produced in record time to save lives. They build on technology that has been studied for decades, and before being approved by the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use, they underwent the same rigorous safety testing as all other vaccines that may be used in the US.
Answers to common questions:
Is COVID-19 vaccination mandatory at UW – Madison?
No, COVID-19 vaccination is not currently required for UW – Madison students or employees, although employees are welcome to make vaccines during business hours. UHS provides modified clinical hours and additional support to second and third shift workers.
I signed up to make an appointment through MyUHS and could not find an appointment – what should I do?
Keep checking MyUHS; UHS will continue to open appointments as the vaccine becomes available. You do not lose your chance of being vaccinated if you do not switch on immediately.
I was vaccinated outside the campus. How can I notify UHS?
Individuals vaccinated off-campus who wish to ensure that their vaccination is registered with UHS should take the following steps as soon as they receive both doses of a two-dose vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) or a single-dose vaccine (Johnson and Johnson) has. ):
It can take up to five business days for the record to be reflected in your MyUHS account.
What will I be able to do if I have been fully vaccinated?
It takes two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, or two weeks after the second ingestion of a two-dose vaccine, to obtain full protection against current COVID-19 vaccines. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides guidelines on activities where fully vaccinated people can resume: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html.
However, because of the risk of spreading COVID-19, the CDC does not recommend that people travel at this time. This includes people who have been fully vaccinated. Anyone who needs to travel should review this CDC guide, which will be updated soon: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-during-covid19.html.
In addition, UW – Madison is investigating whether people who have been fully vaccinated should continue with the campus test regularly and expect to provide more information soon.
UHS hosted a recorded city hall for vaccination on March 4th. The 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/