Updated 4 p.m. Feb. 3: The Davis campus vaccination clinic announced it will expand eligibility Wednesday, Feb. 10, within Phase 1B, Tier 1, to employees of any age who are at risk of exposure because of their work as in-person instructors, including faculty, teaching assistants and post-docs currently participating in in-person instruction; campus child care workers; police and fire personnel not previously vaccinated; and dining employees.
Updated 9:20 a.m. Feb. 3: Vaccinations are now available to employees and students ages 65 and up in Phase 1B, regardless of your location (working or studying in UC Davis facilities or remotely).
Updated 5:45 p.m. Feb. 2: Officials announced the Davis campus's COVID-19 vaccine clinic is now open to employees and students who are 75 and older, in Phase 1B. The expansion comes just one day after the clinic began operation with shots in Phase 1A. Appointments are required via the Health-e-Messaging system. Cindy Schorzman, medical director, Student Health and Counseling Services, reported the clinic had given 158 vaccinations since opening late Monday afternoon.
COVID-19 ROUNDUP
- Changes coming this Friday (Feb. 5) to the Daily Symptom Survey, including new, color-coded access statuses
- COVID-19 self-reporting system moves to the Health-e-Messaging portal
The Davis campus opened its COVID-19 vaccine clinic Monday afternoon (Feb. 1) for employees and students as they become eligible. The clinic is now taking appointments for people who qualify for vaccinations in Phase 1A of the government-specified allocation plan.
Supply is limited. The campus received 500 doses of Moderna vaccine this week and expects the same number next week, said Cindy Schorzman, medical director of Student Health and Counseling Services.
The clinic in the Activities and Recreation Center Ballroom is an alternative for employees who otherwise should look to their health care providers for COVID-19 vaccinations. For example, UC Davis Health is running clinics for its own patients. But, if your opportunity for vaccination at UC Davis comes earlier than it does at your health care provider, then you can make an appointment at the Davis campus clinic, though you will have to wait until your turn in the allocation system.
Appointments can be arranged through the Health-e-Messaging (the same portal used to make COVID-19 testing appointments). At your vaccination appointment, you will be required to show personal identification and proof you meet the eligibility criteria.
Phase 1A is for health care workers and others whose job duties put them at greater risk for contracting the virus. The list includes Aggie Public Health Ambassadors and employees who work directly with infected people in Occupational Health and Student Health and Counseling Services, veterinary medicine, police and fire, and Student Housing and Dining Services (employees who support the campus’s quarantine and isolation facilities). COVID-19 researchers also are included in Phase 1A.
Next will come Phase 1B, Tier 1: employees and students who are 75 and older. Keep checking the UC Davis COVID-19 Vaccine Program webpage to see when you are eligible. Note: The distribution system is subject to change, based on evolving guidance from local and state public health officials and as directed by the UC Office of the President.
The first batch of vaccine — from Moderna — arrived at the Activities and Recreation Center at about 4 p.m. Monday. Inside the ARC, Yolo County public health staff had already begun training campus Fire Department personnel — including firefighters and student emergency medical technicians — to give the vaccinations.
The firefighters and EMTs practiced injections — using empty syringes — then opened the clinic. No appointments had been scheduled, because the timing of the vaccine’s arrival had been uncertain — so the first doses went to testing kiosk employees who had been called in, avoiding any wasted doses.
Once vaccinated, health experts say, people should maintain COVID-19 health protocols — including face coverings, physical distancing and hand-washing — because, for one reason, full immunity is not achieved until a week or two after the second vaccine dose, and, for another, research has not yet determined if the coronavirus can be transmitted from someone who has developed immunity.
Access status
Changes are coming to the Daily Symptom Survey when it moves to the Health-e-Messaging portal this Friday (Feb. 5).
The survey as originally configured responded with “Approved” or “Not Approved” messages for access to campus facilities. Friday, the survey will respond with one of four color-coded statuses as detailed in this chart:
Accessing the survey: Go through Health-e-Messaging or continue using the buttons on the Daily Symptom Survey webpage.
Once you complete the survey, you will receive an email confirmation with detailed information about facility access and any additional items related to your survey status. If approved to access campus facilities, you will be required to show your approval notice upon entry.
This transition is the first step in a process to connect COVID-19 testing and flu vaccination data with the Daily Symptom Survey. Campus visitors, contractors and other temporary campus affiliates will still use the visitor version of our Daily Symptom Survey.
COVID-19 self-reporting
Monday (Feb. 1), the campus added a “Reporting COVID-19” button to the home page of the Health-e-Messaging portal. The button is for employees and students, who are required to report to the campus if they receive a confirmed positive COVID-19 test result or a COVID-19-positive diagnosis from a physician, or if they are advised by an outside/community case investigator that they are a close contact of a COVID-19-positive person.
The button will take you to a reporting form, which also be used to submit questions or concerns about members of the campus community having COVID-19.
Media Resources
Dateline Staff, 530-752-6556, dateline@ucdavis.edu