New process to verify the eligibility of the COVID-19 vaccine and schedule appointments at SUS

Since January 5, when the University Health Services began providing COVID-19 vaccines to the campus community, UHS has sent emails to staff and students to invite those who are eligible to schedule their vaccine appointments. As a result of the greater eligibility of the population and the increased availability of vaccines, SUS created a new process that does not depend on e-mail.

Starting on Monday, March 15, students and staff will use their MyUHS account – found here: go.wisc.edu/myuhscovidvax – as a portal to access eligibility information and scheduling options. The Campus will also continue to share frequent news updates on vaccine eligibility.

This week, UHS is expanding nominations to all non-student employees who work in person. These employees will have the option of scheduling a vaccination appointment at SUS, which is offering the Pfizer-BioNTech two-dose vaccine, or through a partnership this week with SSM Health in Dane County, which is offering Johnson’s single dose. and Johnson The Janssen vaccine at his clinic on Fish Hatchery Road in Madison.

Visitors to the MyUHS portal will log in using their NetID and password and their date of birth. To check availability and schedule an appointment, individuals should look for the following and click or tap on the word “appointment” to begin: “2. Schedule an appointment for a COVID-19 immunization. ”A series of prompts will serve as a guide.

Employees who are unable to guarantee an appointment at SUS this week must check back next week, or must follow instructions for appointments with the SSM, which is offering the vaccine schedule on Wednesday, March 17; Friday, March 19; and Sunday, March 21.

There are more face-to-face employees than vaccine supplies provided to UHS this week, although UHS expects to continue to receive additional supplies. Undergraduate and graduate student employees with face-to-face functions will start making appointments in the week of March 22nd and should access the MyUHS portal on that date.

Employees who work remotely will receive the vaccine in the coming weeks. Eligible members of the campus community can also seek vaccine appointments through healthcare providers and other off-campus providers, such as pharmacies.

Face-to-face instructors at UW – Madison, including graduate teaching assistants and student teachers serving in K-12 roles, have already received vaccines through UHS or through a partnership with Public Health Madison and Dane County.

Each week, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services allocates vaccine supplies to UW – Madison and UHS prioritizes vaccinating as many eligible campus members as possible. Like other vaccinators in Wisconsin, UHS is vaccinating as many people as possible with its weekly supply, but cannot provide injections to everyone immediately.

To date, UHS has provided more than 10,000 injections of COVID-19 to eligible members of the campus community. This includes the first and second doses.

The state of Wisconsin determines who is eligible to receive vaccines. Following state criteria, UHS offered nominations for staff and students who:

• serve direct patient care functions;
• have direct contact with the SARS-CoV-2 virus or virus samples;
• are active campus members aged 65 and over;
• are employees of the Police Department at the University of Wisconsin;
• they are teachers, staff and teaching assistants currently engaged in face-to-face instruction;
• Housing and Dining employees are 45 or older;
• are childcare and custody employees

UHS, the Human Resources Office and others worked with the Dean’s Office and schools and colleges to identify eligible campus members.

Since March 1, all employees in education settings have become eligible for vaccination under the DHS, including teachers and staff in higher education settings with direct contact with students. Everyone at UW – Madison who works with students meets the definition of direct student contact.

However, while vaccine supplies remain limited, DHS asks that anyone who works from home, and is not required to interact with the public, allow other Wisconsin residents at increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 to have access to vaccines first.

Beginning March 29, DHS will expand eligibility for individuals with certain medical conditions associated with an increased risk of serious COVID-19 disease. UHS will provide additional information to the campus community as the date approaches, although individuals are instructed to use the MyUHS portal.

UHS mainly received the two-dose COVID-19 vaccine produced by Pfizer-BioNTech, and community partners who have offered vaccines to employees and students in the past few weeks have been able to offer the One-shot vaccine Johnson and Johnson Janssen. UHS has also received limited supplies from Moderna in the past.

Each vaccine has been shown in clinical trials to be highly safe and highly effective in preventing vaccinated people from contracting COVID-19, developing serious illnesses and dying from the disease. Vaccines have been provided to tens of millions of Americans since December 2020. Adverse reactions to vaccines are rare. Some people do not report side effects from vaccines, although many report mild side effects, such as pain at the injection site and tiredness.

The COVID-19 pandemic has killed more than 534,000 Americans since March 2020. Vaccines were produced in record time to save lives. They are based on technology that has been studied for decades and, before obtaining authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use, they underwent the same rigorous safety tests as all other vaccines authorized for use in the United States

Answers to common questions:

Is vaccination with COVID-19 mandatory at UW – Madison?
No, the COVID-19 vaccination is not currently required for students or staff at UW – Madison, although employees are welcome to schedule vaccination times during working hours. UHS will provide modified clinic hours and additional support for second and third shift workers.

I signed up to make an appointment through MyUHS and I couldn’t find an appointment – what should I do?

Continue checking MyUHS; SUS will continue to open consultations as soon as the vaccine becomes available. You will not miss the opportunity to be vaccinated if you do not schedule it immediately.

I was vaccinated off campus. How do I report UHS?

Off-campus vaccinated individuals who wish to ensure that their vaccination is registered with SUS must follow the steps below, once they have received both doses of a two-dose vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) or a one-dose vaccine ( Johnson and Johnson):

It may take up to five business days for the record to be reflected in your MyUHS account.

What can I do when I am fully vaccinated?

It takes two weeks after a single dose vaccine, or two weeks after the second injection of a two dose vaccine, to achieve full protection from current COVID-19 vaccines. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offer guidance on activities that fully vaccinated people can resume: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html.

However, due to the risk of spreading COVID-19, the CDC does not recommend that people travel at this time. This includes people who are fully vaccinated. Anyone who needs to travel should read this CDC guidance, which will be updated again soon: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-during-covid19.html.

In addition, UW – Madison is examining whether fully vaccinated people will need to continue regular campus testing and hopes to provide more information soon.

UHS made a recording of the vaccine’s prefecture on March 4. Closed captions are also available: go.wisc.edu/vaccinechat. A second city hall will take place on March 18, from 12pm to 1pm: go.wisc.edu/campusvaccinechat.

For answers to many other questions about COVID-19, including questions about vaccines, visit: https://news.wisc.edu/tag/covid-questions/

For more information on UW – Madison’s response to COVID-19, including a searchable FAQ database, go to: https://covidresponse.wisc.edu/

For more information on vaccines, COVID-19, or to contact the University Health Services, visit: https://covidresponse.wisc.edu/covid-19-vaccine-information/