NOTE: Please visit our Vaccine page for the latest updates and guidance. The below was shared February 11.
When COVID-19 vaccines first became available at the start of 2021, our hope was that, over time, the URMC Employee Health clinics would be able to provide the vaccine to all eligible University faculty and staff, similar to how the process currently works with the flu vaccine. However, evolving direction from New York state, combined with a national shortage of vaccine, make this an unrealistic goal, and an understandably frustrating experience for many.
New York State continues to direct our URMC Employee Health group to focus solely on vaccinating health care workers in the 1A category, which includes persons with direct and indirect patient contact at our University and within our community. Employee Health has been receiving only a few hundred doses of vaccine each week to complete this effort. Now that most of our eligible 1A faculty and staff have been vaccinated, we’ve been directed by the state to send any unused doses to our primary care vaccine centers for patients ages 65 and older.
We await direction from the Monroe County Department of Health on vaccine supply and distribution, including how medical conditions will affect eligibility. Our Government and Community Relations team is also working closely with the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (CICU) to advocate for University employees with New York state. For now, however, we are encouraging all eligible non-1A University faculty and staff to look for appointments at other vaccine clinics run by the county or the state or offered by local pharmacies. The Finger Lakes COVID-19 Vaccine Hub is the best source of up-to-date information on these clinics. We appreciate all of our University faculty and staff and will continue to advocate on their behalf, and will provide updates if circumstances change.
The information below was originally shared on January 27
All eligible faculty and staff are urged to take advantage of the COVID-19 vaccine. At this time, however, due to the nationwide shortage of first dose vaccines, New York State continues to direct the URMC’s Employee Health group to focus solely on vaccinating health care workers in category 1A.
Recognizing that many faculty and staff in category 1B (ages 65 and over; in-person instruction) are eager to receive a vaccine, Employee Health will begin operating clinics to support this effort as soon as additional vaccine supplies are received and new direction is provided from New York state. With the uncertain timing of this, it is recommended that individuals who are currently eligible for a vaccine investigate other vaccine options. The Finger Lakes Vaccine Hub is a great resource to learn more about vaccine options in our community.
Please note that there currently is not a shortage for second dose vaccines; everyone who has already received a first dose should be sure to keep their second dose appointment as scheduled.
The information below was originally shared on January 20
Due to limited vaccine supply, URMC is focused right now on continuing to vaccinate UR Medicine health care workers in New York State’s 1a category, as well as continuing second dose clinics, hopeful that next week URMC’s vaccine allotment will be increased to continue to vaccinate other eligible faculty and staff.
As a reminder, eligible University faculty and staff who accept vaccination appointments must sign an attestation of their eligibility and show their University ID. As vaccine supplies allow, additional slots will be made available more broadly for in-person instructional faculty, who are also approved within the current New York State eligibility designations. Invitations for this expanded group will be delivered through University email.
UR Medicine also this week officially opened its first two vaccine centers at Manhattan Square downtown and at the Saunders Building on the Medical Center campus for eligible UR Medicine patients by appointment only.
The information below was originally shared on January 15
We want to share a vaccine update that email notifications have been delivered to the following categories of University community members letting them know that URMC Employee Health was able to schedule them for a COVID vaccination:
- Faculty, staff, and matriculated students 65 years and older
- Warner School and Eastman School students who are working in preschool-grade 12 settings (students registered for clinical experiences, e.g., practica, internships, field experiences, student teaching, or relevant EDF courses in teaching, counseling, and administration)
Individuals who accepted these appointments must sign an attestation of their eligibility and show their University ID. The clinics for these groups have been completed—for the first dose—and the registration link contained in these emails has expired; subsequent notifications sent to these groups will include new registration instructions. As vaccine supplies allow, additional slots will be made available more broadly for in-person instructional faculty, who are also approved within the current New York State eligibility designations. Invitations for this expanded group will be delivered through University email. All notifications are being made in alignment with the federal and state guidelines for vaccine distribution.
Also, UR Medicine has begun to vaccinate its patients aged 65 and older, so this may present another opportunity for University community members who are also UR Medicine patients. UR Medicine will begin phoning patients Sunday, Jan. 17, in randomized order, offering appointments at two locations: Manhattan Square Park office space, and the Saunders Building on the Medical Center Campus.
UR Medicine expects to open more vaccine centers in upcoming weeks to accommodate larger volumes of patients and will also deploy mobile clinics. As with other local vaccine centers, all UR Medicine centers are operating on an appointment-only basis. Over time, as availability of vaccine allows, UR Medicine will offer vaccination to all UR Medicine patients.
It’s important to note that vaccine supplies are limited, as Governor Cuomo has said, and it will take time to vaccinate all of the people in the identified groups. Please do not call Employee Health or University Health Service with questions; staff members are dedicated to the vaccination process and other important employee and student health business. For further updates on vaccine availability on campus, be sure to check @Rochester and this website.
For additional facts about the vaccination process through URMC, see URMC Vaccine FAQ. And for additional vaccine clinic options in the Greater Rochester area, please use New York State’s Am I Eligible site to explore more appointment opportunities.
(Note: This is an update to information originally shared on January 13.)