Beginning March 1, 2021, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) expanded vaccine eligibility to the following groups:
- Childcare and education (including campus child care centers and faculty and staff in higher education settings who have direct student contact, including teaching assistants);
- People enrolled in Medicaid long-term care programs;
- Some public-facing essential workers (food supply chain, utilities and infrastructure workers, etc.);
- Non-frontline health care essential personnel;
- Facility staff and residents in congregate living settings (not including university residence halls or co-op housing)
Previously eligible individuals on campus include employees and students who:
- serve direct patient care roles;
- have direct exposure to the virus or virus samples;
- are active members of campus age 65 and older;
- are employed by University Police
As of Monday, March 15, 2021, University Health Services (UHS) expanding appointments to all non-student employees working in person. Based on current supply availability, UHS is providing appointments to the following groups:
- serve direct patient care roles;
- have direct contact with the SARS-CoV-2 virus or virus samples;
- are active members of campus age 65 and older;
- are employees of University of Wisconsin Police Department;
- are faculty, staff and teaching assistants currently engaged in in-person instruction;
- are Housing and Dining staff ages 45 and older;
- are childcare and custodial staff
Instead of waiting for an e-mail from UHS, students and employees will use their MyUHS account — found here— as a portal to make an appointment. To access the MyUHS portal, employees log in via their NetID, and will be required to enter their birthdate. Once their identity is verified, the MyUHS will proceed to their home screen, on which is a block of text that asks if “you are here for a Covid vaccine”. The second item provides a link to the appointment screen, where employees must fill out a short questionnaire before an appointment can be made to gauge eligibility for the vaccine, as appointments are made based on employee eligibility and vaccine availability.
If deemed eligible for this round of vaccines, employees will have the option of scheduling an appointment for vaccination at UHS, which is offering the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, or through a partnership this week with SSM Health in Dane County, which is offering the one-dose Johnson and Johnson Janssen vaccine at its clinic on Fish Hatchery Road in Madison.
If employees are unable to access an appointment for this round of vaccines through UHS, they should check back next week, beginning March 22, as eligibility continues to expand as supplies become more available. Otherwise, they may follow the instructions for appointments with SSM, which is offering vaccine hours on Wednesday, March 17; Friday, March 19; and Sunday, March 21.
Employees working remotely can expect to become eligible in the coming weeks, or they may seek vaccine appointments through health care providers and other off-campus providers, such as pharmacies.
Additionally, graduate and undergraduate student employees with in-person roles will begin to be offered appointments the week of March 22 and should access the MyUHS portal then.
More information in regards to current vaccine eligibility and FAQ can be found here. Please continue to check back here, or at the UW Covid-19 Response page for more information as things progress.
Stay safe!