Dear University of Miami Community,
We have all been following the historic progress of the vaccines for COVID-19, and we look forward to having a safe and effective vaccine available for our University community. The health system has assembled a team of experts who have been planning for distribution of the vaccine for some time. This week, the state announced its initial plans for vaccine rollout. As we await the details on distribution from the state and federal governments, we want you to know that the University of Miami is ready.
The COVID-19 Vaccine Taskforce is led by chief medical officer for COVID-19 Roy E. Weiss, M.D., Ph.D., infectious disease specialist Susanne Doblecki-Lewis, M.D., and lead for vaccine operations Kathryn Stella. The taskforce has been managing logistics and developing a distribution plan to ensure a safe and efficient process. Distribution will take place in a phased manner, following state and federal guidelines. It will be based on the quantity of vaccine we receive and people’s risk of exposure.
We will begin the phased approach for vaccination with our frontline employees who take care of or work in an area with patients who have tested positive for the coronavirus. The phases will expand over the coming months to include faculty, staff, and students, followed by the broader community. It is important to note that the COVID-19 vaccine will be voluntary for everyone at the University.
The Food and Drug Administration will be reviewing the safety and efficacy data from the first vaccine candidate on Dec. 10 to determine whether to grant Emergency Use Authorization. To gain approval, any vaccines will have been tested in at least 30,000 people, scientifically showing that they are indeed safe and efficacious against the coronavirus.
Vaccination has a long history as the most reliable way of protecting people against harmful infectious diseases. Today, vaccines are used to protect people from more than a dozen diseases, including influenza, tetanus, measles, and diphtheria, saving millions of lives each year.
The current pandemic has taken an enormous toll on our nation and the world in the lives lost, the financial impact, and the effects on our mental and social wellbeing. Even as we close in on the year mark since COVID-19 became a worldwide concern, we are coping with record numbers of hospitalizations and infection rates across the U.S., including here in South Florida.
The availability of a safe and proven vaccine is the single-most important development in our ability to control the COVID-19 pandemic. However, vaccines are effective only if they are taken, and we will do everything we can to make the vaccines as broadly available as possible.
While getting a COVID-19 vaccine will be optional for everyone at the University of Miami, we encourage you to take advantage of our allocation when the time comes. Although COVID-19 is frequently a mild disease, even asymptomatic, we also know it can be very serious and fatal, with increasing evidence of long-term residual effects. There is no way to know how COVID-19 will affect you, your loved ones, or your colleagues. Getting vaccinated will help to protect you and the people around you.
We know you have questions about when, where, and how the vaccine will be available. To help answer your questions and provide information in this ever-evolving situation, we are planning a series of virtual town hall meetings over the next few months. The first town hall—which will be for medical employees, since they will be the first vaccine recipients—is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 15, at 5 p.m.
Instructions for registering for the town hall will be provided next week. And we will provide details on the additional town halls as soon as they are available. We will continue to communicate regularly with you and share important updates as we move forward.
We are grateful for your engagement as we navigate this unprecedented pandemic. Vaccine distribution will take some time, so we must continue to be vigilant and strictly adhere to current public health guidelines. Nevertheless, getting vaccines to our University and surrounding communities begins a new and hopeful phase. As always, we deeply appreciate your unwavering commitment to the University of Miami.
Sincerely,
Julio Frenk, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D.
President
Roy E. Weiss, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Medicine
Chair, Department of Medicine
Chief Medical Officer for COVID-19
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