UK pauses COVID-19 booster vaccinations; will resume in coming days
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 8, 2022) — Following the announcement of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) authorizing the new bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccines, the University of Kentucky has paused COVID vaccinations this week and plans to resume in the coming days.
The university can no longer administer the monovalent boosters, as they are no longer FDA-approved.
How does this affect the UK community?
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The Blue Box Theater vaccine location will be closed while UK teams prepare to offer the bivalent COVID booster vaccines.
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When the university does begin to offer the new bivalent booster vaccines, appointments will be required, and a link to schedule an appointment will be communicated in the coming days.
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If a member of the community has a booster appointment scheduled at a UK Retail Pharmacy for this week, their appointment will be rescheduled for next week.
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Faculty and staff are encouraged to make an appointment at a UK Retail Pharmacy if they prefer.
While CDC guidelines and university policies have changed, UK Health Corps remains operational and committed to providing the community with support. Health Corps can be reached at 859-218-SAFE (7233) or healthcorps@uky.edu.
Additional reminders:
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If a member of the community feels ill, they should be tested for COVID as soon as possible. Testing information is available here.
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If an individual tests positive for COVID, they should follow these steps and upload their test results here. This will prompt a representative from UK Health Corps to reach out for further instructions and support. We also encourage members of our community to reach out to their primary care providers.
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Any student who submits a positive test result and isolates as a result of their positive test result will receive an excused absence letter from Health Corps.
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Any employees or students who want documentation for any other concerns, including exposures, should reach out to their primary care provider and work directly with their supervisors or instructors.
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Vaccines remain our best defense against COVID. Information on getting vaccinated is available at this link.
The university will continue to monitor the latest updates to the FDA-approved booster shots. For more information, visit UK’s coronavirus website.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.