More Than 3,500 Employees Vaccinated With at Least First Dose by March 2

Russell Cothren, University Relations

A nursing student gives a COVID-19 vaccination to a university employee during the first mass vaccination clinic.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – More than 3,500 University of Arkansas employees will have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by March 2, when another in a series of mass vaccination clinics concludes. More than 1,500 U of A employees have already received both doses of the vaccine through opportunities offered by the university.

"These numbers only include those who received the vaccine through an opportunity coordinated by the university, but we know others are securing appointments on their own, so we believe the total number of employees who have been vaccinated is actually much higher," said Matt Mills, U of A emergency manager. "A large number of additional vaccinations are planned this weekend and next week. If you haven't received an invitation yet, your time is coming soon."

Information about vaccination opportunities continues to be relayed directly to individual employees via email. With limited availability, these opportunities are first-come, first-serve, so employees must act quickly.

MOST EMPLOYEES Over 30 HAVE BEEN OFFERED AT LEAST ONE VACCINATION OPPORTUNITY

Most university employees over the age of 30 have now been contacted at least once about an opportunity to be vaccinated. While outreach continues to employees of all ages who previously confirmed their interest in being vaccinated as a part of Phase 1-B of the state's vaccination plan, employees under 30 years of age are now being notified of appointment availabilities as well.

For the initial mass vaccination clinics on campus and other opportunities made available through the university, access to appointment scheduling information was provided in a tiered manner, starting with those in the 70 and over population, working down to those aged 50 or more, then to employees with essential job responsibilities, and on to employees in the 40-plus and 30-plus populations.

STILL WANT TO BE VACCINATED?

More than 1,000 employees are scheduled to be vaccinated in the next few days, but we know there are many employees who still want to be vaccinated including those who haven't received a notification about an appointment opportunity yet, and others who either couldn't make it to a previous opportunity, or simply missed their invitation.

If you still want to be vaccinated, please be on the lookout for a two-question survey that will be delivered via email Wednesday, March 3, from U of A Emergency Management directly to employees who previously confirmed their interest in being vaccinated as well as others who may still be interested. 

When you receive the email with the survey link, please complete the survey (even if you completed a vaccination survey from the university previously). The information will be used to calculate the remaining vaccine need in our community and guide future vaccination opportunities provided by the university. This information is helpful given we don't know how many employees may have been vaccinated outside of one of the opportunities offered through the U of A. 

When you do secure an appointment, keep the following information in mind.

WHAT DO I NEED TO TAKE TO MY VACCINATION APPOINTMENT?

Those with appointments to receive the vaccine from eligible providers, including mass vaccination clinics, must bring the following for verification (those without an appointment will be turned away):

• University photo identification
• Insurance card (required if you have insurance)
• Driver's license or other form of photo identification 
• The individualized letter from the university recently emailed to employees
• First dose confirmation card (if receiving your second dose). IMPORTANT: If you have lost your card, then you are responsible for contacting the pharmacy/provider directly for a replacement. The university does not have access to this record.

WHO CAN ANSWER MY QUESTIONS?

If you have questions or need further information regarding the vaccination process, please contact hrassist@uark.edu.

Vaccination information for the U of A community and an overview of the university's COVID-19 Response is available online.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.