Updated COVID-19 vaccines will first be available on campus at a pair of employee benefit fairs later this week.
The new vaccines, formulated to target this fall’s dominant variant of the virus, will be offered between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 11, at the Student Recreation Center on Main Campus, and Thursday, Oct. 12, in the Morse Center on Health Science Campus.
Faculty, staff and students also will be able to get an influenza vaccine at the same time. The University requires an annual flu shot for all on-campus students and most employees.
The influenza and COVID vaccines will be administered by personnel from The University of Toledo Medical Center outpatient pharmacy. Health screenings also will be available.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends everyone age 5 and older get one dose of the updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect against serious illness. Though the COVID-19 vaccine is not broadly required for all students or employees, the University does strongly recommend individuals get vaccinated.
UTMC outpatient pharmacy will begin regular distribution of the updated COVID-19 vaccines on Oct. 17.
The UTMC Medical Pavilion pharmacy can accommodate faculty, staff and student walk-ins for COVID-19 vaccines beginning Oct. 17 on Tuesdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., on Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to noon, on Thursdays from 2 to 6 p.m. and on Fridays from 8 a.m. to noon.
COVID-19 vaccines will be available by appointment only at the Main Campus pharmacy beginning Oct. 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Faculty, staff and students can call the pharmacy at 530.3471 for more information about making an appointment beginning Monday, Oct. 16.
Dr. Michael Ellis, an infectious disease specialist and chief medical officer at UTMC, said vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself against serious illness from COVID-19.
“The recommendation from the CDC is that everyone six months or older should get the COVID vaccine, and that’s especially important for people over the age of 65 who have similar reasons to get a vaccine against the flu,” he said. “Both of these respiratory viruses can cause serious illness across age groups, but the risk is particularly high in those who are older, immunocompromised or have other chronic conditions.”
Individuals are eligible for the new COVID-19 shot if it has been at least two months since they received a prior COVID-19 vaccine, or at least three months since a COVID-19 infection.
“Prior immunity doesn’t last forever, and changes in the virus mean it may be better at avoiding the immunity we do have,” Ellis said. “Getting an updated shot is going to help rev up your immune system and reduce your chances of getting sick, even if you’ve had previous vaccines or have been sick from COVID.”
Both Ellis and the CDC say it’s safe to receive both an influenza and COVID-19 vaccine at the same time, and that pairing them does not impact the effectiveness of either shot.
A seasonal influenza vaccine is required for all on-campus students and employees who are not represented by a bargaining unit, as well as all healthcare workers at UTMC and University clinics.
A full schedule of upcoming opportunities to receive an influenza vaccine on campus is available on the University’s Flu Prep website.
The influenza vaccine is free to faculty, staff and students and appointments are not required, though individuals do need to complete a consent form, available at influenza.utoledo.edu, prior to getting their shot.
The University no longer requires COVID-19 vaccines for students or employees in the academic areas; however, students and employees who are at UTMC are still required to receive COVID-19 vaccination.
Because the cost of COVID-19 vaccination is no longer being covered by the federal government, an individual’s insurance will be billed for the shot; however, individuals should not have any out-of-pocket costs.
This week’s benefits fairs are being jointly hosted by Human Resources, Rocket Health and UTMC pharmacies.
