Next phase of COVID-19 vaccination will start on Monday | New

January 22, 2021

The initial administration of the COVID-19 vaccine to people in high-risk job categories in Albany County and the University of Wyoming is nearing completion, and the next step is expected to begin next week .

As of Monday, January 25, Albany County Public Health, UW, and Ivinson Memorial Hospital (IMH) are expected to begin administering vaccines to county residents who are in categories 1 through 3 on the priority calendar. phase 1b in the Wyoming Department of Health distribution guidelines. This includes people aged 70 or over; however, due to the limited availability of vaccines, distribution efforts will initially focus on people aged 80 or older.

UW employees who are in these subgroups – around 75 people – will be notified of their eligibility by email by the university. They and other county residents in these categories must register for My Health Connection, the OHI patient portal, to be put on the immunization list. People will be notified when it is time to schedule their immunization appointments. Starting Tuesday, January 26, people in subgroups 1 to 3 can call (307) 766-8222 if they need assistance.

“Ivinson is thrilled to partner with public health and academia to bring COVID-19 vaccines to our community,” says Doug Faus, CEO of OHIM. “With My Health Connection, we will be able to streamline the registration, planning and registration process for anyone who wants to get vaccinated.”

Administration of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for people in phase 1a of state guidelines has taken place over the past four weeks, with more than 180 UW employees and student workers receiving their first doses. This includes employees of the Student Health Service; those involved in UW’s COVID-19 testing program; clinical providers from the College of Health Sciences; Employees of the UW Police Department; Student Affairs and UW Operations employees who work with students in quarantine and isolation; Students of the College of Health Sciences begin clinical placements; and athletics coaches.

Ultimately, COVID-19 vaccinations should be available to all employees and students, in line with priorities established by the State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, first, the vaccine will be made available to people in phase 1b and other priority categories.

It is estimated that 3,000 people are aged 70 and over in Albany County, so it will take several weeks to administer these vaccines. Phase 1b also includes educators from Kindergarten to Grade 12; The university continues to advocate for UW educators teaching face-to-face to be included in Phase 1b, which has yet to be finalized. All people in phase 1b, regardless of subgroup classification, are encouraged to sign up for My Health Connection to be notified when the vaccine becomes more readily available to them.

In addition, all UW employees and students who spend time on campus and receive the vaccine are still required to participate in the university’s surveillance testing program. This is because although the COVID-19 vaccine has been shown to be very effective in preventing disease in recipients, it is not known whether those who receive the vaccine can still pass the virus on to others. And the vaccine will not test positive recipients in UW’s testing program.

Preparation for phase 1c

While the state has yet to release details of who may qualify during phase 1c – such as certain high-risk individuals and those aged 65 and over – the human resources department of the UW has set up an online platform for employees to notify the university that they are at high risk and wish to receive the vaccine when it becomes available.

All employees who are at high risk for COVID-19, as defined by the CDC, are encouraged to self-identify in the university’s HCM system. Each active employee has been assigned a “verification task” which guides them through the self-identification process. To find this task, employees should click on “Checklist Tasks” under “My Profile” in HCM, then click “Current Tasks”. The system will then walk employees through a few simple questions to identify how they match the CDC’s high risk definitions. Full instructions can be found in the “Self-Identifying High Risk COVID-19” Quick Reference Guide. If an employee is not at high risk, no action is required with the assigned task.

All Albany County residents who use My Health Connection can sign up to be notified when a vaccine is available. If residents currently have a My Health Connection account, they will automatically receive vaccine updates. Those who do not have a My Health Connection account can create them by visiting the OHI website.

For more information on Albany County’s vaccine distribution plan, visit www.ivinsonhospital.org/vaccine.

Questions about UW’s COVID-19 vaccination plans should be emailed to [email protected]. A UW vaccine webpage has been created at www.uwyo.edu/campus-return/vaccination, and it will be updated as more information becomes available.