ÁùºÏ±¦µä

Feb. 1, 2021

This message was sent to University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno faculty and staff.

Dear Wolf Pack Family,

I hope this email finds you well as we begin our second week of the spring 2021 semester. We have received some good news regarding vaccinations for this week. The University has secured a limited number of vaccines for distribution on campus through our own Point of Distribution (POD) on Friday, Feb. 5, 2021.

Employees who are eligible for this latest round of vaccinations will be receiving a survey email today from Human Resources ascertaining their availability to receive the vaccine. Individuals must complete the survey in order to be considered to receive the vaccine. If an individual has already been vaccinated, we ask that you also please complete the survey to help the University update future vaccine requests.

At this time, as far as we know this is a one-time POD. We are not setting up a permanent one and this is only for scheduled NSHE North employees, including the University, DRI, TMCC and NSHE North. We are coordinating this POD to assist Washoe County Health District. We will still be using WCHD’s POD and any other sites they make available to us for getting our eligible employees vaccinated. For this Friday’s on-campus POD only, we are initially prioritizing employees who teach face to face including “HyFlex” modes.

As the University has a limited number of doses, it is anticipated not all of the individuals receiving this survey email will be able to schedule a vaccination during this scheduling period, as the appointment time slots fill very quickly. Appointments will be confirmed in a separate email with additional instructions no later than Thursday, February 4. If individuals are unable to secure a vaccination at this time, we anticipate several more weeks of vaccine availability for NSHE employees in this particular priority group.

As a reminder, the University identified more than 2,100 employees as members of what was formerly designated by the State of ÁùºÏ±¦µä as the “Tier 2 Frontline NHSE employee” group last month. These individuals, who were identified by their deans and vice presidents for job duties performed on campus and in person, are now considered part of the “Frontline/Essential Workforce” lane in the state’s two-lane vaccination plan. Please remember that the vaccine is federally allotted and the University does not have any control over its distribution.

The University must comply with directives from the State of ÁùºÏ±¦µä and Washoe County as we learn of vaccine availability and how and when it can be distributed According to the State of ÁùºÏ±¦µä’s vaccination playbook, NV COVID Playbook Version 3, once the members of the former Tier 2 group have either been vaccinated or have chosen to opt out of receiving a vaccination, the University can then turn to “NSHE students living in campus-sponsored residential settings” and “NSHE Remaining Workforce.” See the Vaccine Information section on the University’s coronavirus information page for information and updates.

The distribution of vaccines continues to be a work in progress for our federal government, our state and Washoe County. We are pleased to have this opportunity on Friday to have a POD on our campus for the Tier 2 eligible employees who are confirmed with vaccination appointments. I wish to thank all of the members of our University community for their continued patience as we work toward the goal of distributing the vaccine to all those who wish to receive it. The process is going to continue to demand a great deal of our time and patience. It will demand, too, that often we must react quickly. As always, your flexibility and adaptability as we receive these notices of vaccine availability is appreciated. It is yet another reminder of how seriously we are all taking our responsibility to Protect the Pack.

For questions, please contact covidvaccine@unr.edu.

Jeffrey S. Thompson
Acting Executive Vice President and Provost
Professor of Physics