COVID-19 vaccine

You will need to go to Workday to indicate whether or not you would like to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. This is necessary to ensure that those who are interested are scheduled to receive the vaccine according to the appropriate phase and availability.

Yes. You can update your preference in Workday. However, if you select “no” and then change to “yes,” the timing of distribution of the vaccine may be delayed. If you select “yes” and then change to “no,” you will be removed from the scheduling system.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determines the national distribution of vaccines, and we currently receive the vaccines from the state. There is not a clear line of sight into how many we receive and when we receive them. As soon as we receive a shipment of vaccines, we are ready to deploy our teams to distribute the vaccine following state and federal guidelines.

The first doses will be the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, but as others receive Emergency Use Authorization or FDA approval, we expect to receive those as well.

Once you select your preference in Workday and you meet the requirement for the appropriate phase, you will receive an email prompting you to schedule your appointment. Managers will also be alerted when their employees’ phases are open.

Yes. The email prompting you to schedule your appointment will be sent to your University email address.

Following federal and state guidelines, we have established a phased plan to distribute the vaccine—beginning with employees who care for or work around COVID-19 patients, moving to other high-risk populations, faculty, staff, and students. The timing is still unknown, but we expect it will take several months to receive enough vaccine for all phases.

The vaccine is being released by the Food and Drug Administration under an Emergency Use Authorization, which means that it has been evaluated and shown to be safe and effective. To gain approval, any vaccine would have been tested in a trial of at least 30,000 people, scientifically showing that it is indeed safe and efficacious against the coronavirus. If you have any questions about whether you should take the vaccine, please contact your health care provider.

We do not recommend the vaccine during pregnancy or for nursing mothers due to the lack of information in this group. It is recommended that women not get pregnant for two months after the second injection.

Because details of the vaccines are continually updated, comprehensive information is available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/index.html. 

Yes. Measures to reduce the spread of the coronavirus remain extremely important since it will likely be many months before a significant number of people have received the vaccine. Wear a mask at all times, stay at least six feet away from other people, continue to wash your hands frequently, and avoid large gatherings. Public health experts strongly recommend that you avoid traveling as well.

If you think that the phase listed for you in Workday should be changed, please contact your supervisor.