To University of Miami Faculty and Staff (non-UHealth/Medical):
The University of Miami Health System began vaccinating front-line employees against the COVID-19 virus in mid-December following federal and state guidelines for distribution. As we continue to offer vaccinations, we want to share with you what to expect in the coming months as a University of Miami employee. I know many of you are taking time for the holidays so we will provide additional information next week, following the holiday break.
Following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, the University has established a phased plan to distribute the vaccine—beginning with employees and trainees who care for or work in close proximity to COVID-19 patients. You can see the high-level phases here. As of Dec. 28, 2020, we started to schedule those who are in phase 3.
Governor DeSantis issued an Executive Order on Dec. 23, 2020, directing the prioritization of vaccinations in Florida to persons 65 years of age or older and long-term care facility residents and staff, in addition to health care personnel with direct patient contact. In order to comply with the order, any University employee 65 or older should have received an invitation to receive the vaccine. If you are 65 or older and did not receive the email to schedule your vaccine, you should check your junk email folder and your personal email as the scheduling email is sent to the email on file with MyUHealthChart. If you need technical assistance, contact the MyUHealthChart support team at
UChartHD@med.miami.edu or call 305-243-5999.
Starting next week, if you are 64 years of age or younger, we will provide a form where you can indicate if you have an underlying medical condition recognized by the CDC as putting you at an increased risk of severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19 or might put you at an increased risk. The form will allow you to request for vaccine scheduling prioritization. More information will follow after the New Year on how to access that form.
Please note that all University employees who want a vaccine will receive one, with prioritization given to higher risk populations. Employees should designate in Workday whether or not they would like to receive the vaccine. Due to vaccine availability from the state government, it may take several months to cover the entire phased distribution plan based on the amount of vaccine we receive and how often we receive it.
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions we have received:
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What do I need to do at this time? It is important to select whether you want the vaccine or not in Workday (select yes or no) as soon as possible. Only after you have opted in to receive the vaccine in Workday will you be assigned a phase. When your phase is activated, you will receive an email from MyUHealthChart with instructions for scheduling your appointment. This is not immediate and may take time.
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How will I know what phase I am in? In the coming weeks Coral Gables and Marine campus employees will be able to see the phase assigned to you by logging into Workday. We will notify you when this information is available. Please note that you will only be scheduled to a phase if you opted in to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
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Is the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for faculty and staff? No. The COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory at this time. We encourage you to take advantage of the vaccine when it becomes available to you, to protect yourself and the people around you.
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Will my spouse or anyone living in my household be able to receive the vaccine? Not at this time. We are vaccinating our University workforce and students first, along with UHealth patients who are 65 or older. If anyone in your household is a UHealth patient, they will be notified through their MyUHealthChart account when the vaccine is available to them. We will offer the vaccine to family members in an employee household (up to four) in the last phase of distribution.
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How can I receive more information? We will host virtual town halls in early January to address your questions about the COVID-19 vaccine. Information on dates and times will be shared after the New Year.
In good health,
Roy E. Weiss, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Medicine
Chair, Department of Medicine
Chief Medical Officer for COVID-19 |
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