January 22, 2021
UW associate professor Brant Schumaker, one of the leaders of the university’s COVID-19 vaccination and testing efforts, receives the COVID-19 vaccine from Albany County Public Health Nurse Claire Naylor at the Mountain View Medical Park building in UW. Schumaker is one of more than 180 UW employees who received the first dose of the vaccine. (UW photo)
Initial administration of the COVID-19 vaccine to individuals in high-risk job categories in Albany County and the University of Wyoming is almost complete, and the next step is scheduled to begin next week.
As of Monday, January 25, Albany County Public Health, UW and Ivinson Memorial Hospital (IMH) are scheduled to begin administering vaccines to county residents who are in categories 1-3 of the Phase 1b priority schedule. Wyoming Department of Health distribution guidelines. This includes people aged 70 and over; however, due to limited vaccine availability, distribution efforts will focus primarily on individuals aged 80 and over.
UW employees who are in these subgroups – about 75 people – will be notified of their eligibility by email by the university. They and other residents of the municipality in these categories must sign up for My Health Connection, the IMH patient portal, to be included in the vaccination list. Individuals will be notified when it is time to schedule vaccination appointments. As of Tuesday, January 26, people in subgroups 1-3 can call (307) 766-8222 if they need help.
“Ivinson is excited about partnering with public health and the university to offer COVID-19 vaccines to our community,” said IMH CEO Doug Faus. “With My Health Connection we will be able to streamline the registration, scheduling and check-in process for all those who wish to be vaccinated.”
Administration of the Modern COVID-19 vaccine for people in Phase 1a of the state guidelines has been taking place in the past four weeks, with more than 180 UW employees and student workers receiving their first doses. This includes Student Health Service employees; those involved in the UW COVID-19 test program; clinical providers at the Faculty of Health Sciences; UW Police Department staff; Student Affairs and UW Operations staff who work with students in quarantine and isolation; Students from the Faculty of Health Sciences starting clinical rotations; and athletics coaches.
Eventually, the COVID-19 vaccines should be available to all employees and students, in accordance with the priorities established by the state Health Department and by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). First, however, the vaccine will be made available to people in Phase 1b and other priority categories.
It is estimated that 3,000 people are 70 or older in Albany County, so it is expected to take several weeks to deliver the vaccines. Phase 1b also includes K-12 educators; the university continues to advocate that UW educators who teach in person are included in Phase 1b, which has not yet been finalized. All individuals in Phase 1b, regardless of subgroup classification, are encouraged to sign up for My Health Connection to be notified when the vaccine is most readily available to them.
In addition, all UW staff and students who spend time on campus to receive the vaccine still need to participate in the university’s surveillance testing program. This is because, although the COVID-19 vaccine has been shown to be highly effective in preventing disease in recipients, it is not known whether those who received the vaccine can still transmit the virus to other people. And the vaccine will not cause recipients to test positive in the UW test program.
Preparation for Phase 1c
Although the state has not yet released specifications on who can qualify during Phase 1c – such as certain high-risk individuals and people aged 65 and over – the UW Human Resources Department has established an online platform for employees to notify the university that they are at high risk and want to receive the vaccine when it becomes available.
All employees who are at high risk for COVID-19, as defined by the CDC, are encouraged to identify themselves in the university’s HCM system. Each active employee received a “Checklist Task” that guides them through the self-identification process. To find this task, employees must click on “Checklist Tasks” under “My Profile” in HCM and then “Current Tasks”. The system will guide employees through a few simple questions to identify how they fit into the CDC’s high-risk definitions. Full instructions can be found in the “High-risk self-identification for COVID-19” Quick Reference Guide. If an employee is not at high risk, no action is required with the assigned task.
All residents of Albany County who use My Health Connection can apply to be notified when a vaccine is available. If residents currently have My Health Connection accounts, they will automatically receive updates about the vaccine. Those who do not have a My Health Connection account can create it by visiting the IMH website.
For more information about the Albany County vaccine distribution plan, visit www.ivinsonhospital.org/vaccine.
Questions about UW’s COVID-19 vaccination plans should be emailed to [email protected]. A UW vaccine web page has been created at www.uwyo.edu/campus-return/vaccination and will be updated as information becomes available.