Re: Do Your Part Weekly Recap
To: All staff and faculty
Jan. 29, 2021
Campus Colleagues,
Next week, UC Merced will receive doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine from UC Health and begin vaccinating faculty and staff in accordance with state and county protocols.
We intend to start the vaccination program on Friday, Feb. 5; there will be no cost for the vaccine. The vaccination clinic will be operated out of Sentinel Rock; directions to those invited will be provided next week.
The initial round of vaccine will go to employees who are 65+ and frontline staff such as public safety personnel, food service employees and those supporting our campus quarantine and isolation program, in line with California’s Phase 1b Tier One guidelines. With vaccine supply limited and expectations that the state will move to an age based prioritization approach, the initial invite to employees who meet the criteria previously listed will prioritize elder employees first. When that phase is completed we will continue to offer vaccine to faculty and staff in accordance with the prioritization scheme established by UC Health and in alignment with State guidelines.
All employees are asked to fill out this form as soon as possible, which will help us to gauge our community’s interest in receiving a vaccine on campus. This form will not establish eligibility or set appointments; it is simply to help us in planning for the facilities, personnel and amount of vaccine we may need in the future. Once we have established this demand, we will open a mechanism for scheduling appointments in line with the state phased system.
Those in Phase 1b Tier One will be contacted by the University to schedule an appointment. Please complete the form above to indicate your interest.
The University of California does not require employees be vaccinated, but highly recommends this step. Vaccination may have implications on whether we are required to continue wearing PPE in the future. For more information on what is expected with COVID Vaccination requirements, please review the interim University of California policy. Next week, the University will be launching a COVID Vaccine webpage to provide ongoing updates and details. I’ll be sure to highlight the resource in next week’s message.
Remember that we have access the Calm app. And please continue to do your part — wear face coverings, wash hands and maintain distancing — as UC Merced, the county, the state and the country work to turn the corner on COVID-19.
Be well,
Andrew Boyd,
Chief Resilience Officer
