More than 38,000 individuals on the University of Michigan’s three campuses have been verified as receiving their COVID-19 booster ahead of the Feb. 4 deadline. The majority of those individuals are from the Ann Arbor campus.
MORE INFORMATION
- Report booster information
- COVID-19 dashboard
- COVID-19 vaccine information
- Vaccination FAQ
Those who are not yet eligible for the COVID-19 booster will have 30 days once eligible to get the shot and report their information to the university.
The vaccine verification team is working to review an additional 14,000 submissions as quickly as possible. Those individuals can expect a response within 15 business days following reporting their information. During this time, they may get reminder messages to submit their information but should not resubmit it.
In addition, available booster data for the university community will be incorporated into the U-M COVID-19 vaccination dashboard on the Campus Maize & Blueprint website.
“The on-campus, pop-up COVID-19 booster and vaccination clinics have been well received by the U-M community, and we are pleased to offer additional opportunities in early February to help those who are booster eligible come into compliance,” said Robert Ernst, associate vice president of student life for health and wellness and director of the COVID-19 Campus Health Response Committee.
Additional COVID-19 updates this week include campus case counts trending down, a decrease in the campus response metrics currently met, and continued availability of COVID paid time off for eligible employees.
COVID-19 vaccines and boosters are available on campus through walk-in clinics partnering with local pharmacies or by appointments through University Health Service and Michigan Medicine.
The timing and type of COVID-19 boosters that are administered depend on which primary series an individual received. Information to help better understand these considerations is posted on the Campus Maize & Blueprint website.
The university now considers individuals up to date on their COVID-19 vaccination if they have either received their booster shot or are within six months of a two-dose series or two months of a one-dose vaccine. Previously the university used the term fully vaccinated.
Anyone who is not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations because of an approved postponement or exemption is expected to complete weekly testing though the Community Sampling and Tracking Program.
Additional COVID-19 updates include:
• Dashboard updates: The U-M COVID-19 vaccination dashboard will be updated to reflect the new categories of “up to date on vaccinations” — individuals who received their booster, are within 30 days from their eligibility date or who are not yet eligible for the booster — and “out of scope” — individuals who did not report their vaccine information because they are not required to do so under the U-M vaccination policy. This includes certain union members.
• COVID-19 time bank: Up to 80 hours of paid time off for COVID-19 remains available to eligible employees who did not use their one-time banks when the university introduced the benefit in March 2020. Information about COVID-related time-off options, including eligibility criteria, is available on the Human Resources website.
• COVID-19 cases trending down: Preliminary data on the U-M COVID-19 dashboard reports cases are continuing to decrease compared with previous weeks, and a review of daily reports supports this continued downward trend. Campus response metrics currently being met are a positivity rate of more than 3 percent in Community Sampling and Tracking Program participants and a high level of transmission of COVID-19 in Washtenaw County.
• Change in case investigation: Due to the high transmissibility of the virus’ omicron variant, in-depth case investigation interviews are no longer feasible. Limited contact tracing is being conducted. Case investigation teams are now providing guidance to those testing positive to isolate and are encouraging them to inform their close contacts of exposures and to quarantine and get tested accordingly. Updated guidance on quarantine and isolation is available on the Campus Maize & Blueprint website.
David Blair
And the point of the booster is… ?
Hey, if the first two didn’t work try a 3rd of the same thing.
Isn’t this the definition of insanity?
Joshua Horner
I wish merely to register the fact that I am getting this booster under duress. I do not expect an adverse reaction, but even if I did, I would have no choice. I have spent $20,000 on non-transferable degree credits in the MADS program, all of which sum was committed before I was made aware of this mandatory action, and all of which would be lost were I to refuse.
Having recently moved to Indiana, I have not had a regular doctor’s appointment since my primary vaccinations were administered. I would have preferred to discuss this decision with my personal care provider, after which discussion, I might have been persuaded to seek the booster of my own accord. Despite my status as a 100% remote graduate student, the University has felt somehow obligated to intervene on my behalf in place of my family physician, despite knowing nothing of my history or physiology— despite no evident concern for my individual autonomy.
In spite of the likely benign outcome, I will not forget this action on the part of unknown parties whose supposed concern for my well-being is manifest in an act of nakedly aggressive compulsion. From this moment, my relationship to the institution is a mere marriage of convenience, devoid of mutual affection. With whatever professional prominence my degree eventually affords me, I will take every opportunity to publish my disdain for the revealed character of the University of Michigan. For now I will fade back into the sea of loyal subjects, keeping my head down, taking care not to incur the wrath of the powerful. Hopefully I have not already done so with this posting…