Dear Faculty and Staff:
We are excited to announce that through our continued partnership with the Florida Department of Health, the University of South Florida will soon be able to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to those USF faculty and staff members who are considered extremely vulnerable for COVID-19, per the Governor’s Executive Order 21-47. This Executive Order requires a signed authorization form from your medical care provider or physician and this form will be required for vaccination. We sent out communication in early January to gauge interest in the number of individuals wanting to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. As vaccine availability and distribution have become more widespread since that communication, we are circulating this survey to reassess the number of individuals who meet this criteria and are still in need of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Please note that because we receive only limited doses of the vaccine each week, we are prioritizing our faculty and staff. Also, because we have learned that it is more difficult for persons with high-risk medical conditions to get the vaccine at other sites, we are limiting our vaccines to this population at this time. We are aware that the governor has lowered the age eligibility to 60 and may well lower it again at some future date. We encourage our employees who meet this new criteria and who do not have high-risk medical conditions to seek appointments in the community. More information can be found at https://floridahealthcovid19.gov/vaccines/.
You must complete the survey so that we can contact you to schedule an appointment. If you completed the prior survey, you will still need to fill out this survey in order to be included. Survey results will be kept strictly confidential to the extent allowed by the law. Any interest expressed in receiving the vaccine will be non-binding and your survey answers will not be used for any other purpose. Please note that the vaccine is still in short supply, and our ability to obtain the vaccine varies from week to week. We are managing appointments in the order in which responses are received.
The vaccines will be given in person only with a scheduled appointment (no walk-ups) at the USF Health Morsani Center for Advanced Health Care at 13330 Laurel Drive on the northwest corner of the Tampa campus. Additional locations through USF may become available at a later time.
This is a two-dose vaccine; upon completion of the first dose, you will be scheduled for the second dose. If you have already received the first dose of the vaccine elsewhere, please do not fill out this survey, as these allotments will be for both the first and second vaccine. It is important that you receive your second dose from the same source you received the first dose.
A vaccine FAQ is available here.
You may submit vaccine-related questions via email to vaccine-info@usf.edu.
While the availability of a safe and effective vaccine is an important tool in combatting COVID-19, everyone must still follow all mitigation measures to prevent transmission until we have achieved herd immunity. These include maintaining a safe physical distance from others of at least six feet, properly wearing a face covering at all times, washing hands frequently, disinfecting surfaces, monitoring symptoms and staying home and seeking medical attention whenever you are not feeling well.