Dear Parents and Family,
Your student received this earlier today.
Vaccine Update: Complete Your COVID-19 Vaccination Survey
With vaccine eligibility expanding and supply expected to increase, the university is preparing to vaccinate students, faculty, and staff.
Students who wish to be vaccinated by Student Health must first complete a COVID-19 immunization survey.
Employees who wish to be vaccinated by the University Employee Health Clinic must first complete a COVID-19 immunization survey in your ReadySet employee health record. This brief survey of your medical history, similar to the survey required for the flu vaccine, is required to become vaccinated and triggers the process to self-schedule the vaccination appointment.
We urge you to complete the appropriate immunization survey as soon as you can. The number of vaccines we can give is dependent on the number of doses we receive from the state and county, so it will take time to get everyone scheduled for vaccination. If you can be vaccinated sooner at an approved location, such as a local pharmacy, we encourage you to do so.
In the meantime, we can continue to protect ourselves by wearing a mask, maintaining physical distance from others, washing our hands frequently, and avoiding indoor gatherings with others outside of our household. Thank you for your patience and support. We are all in this together.
For additional information, visit the university’s COVID-19 vaccine information page.
Reminder: Second Instructional Break is April 14
The University of Iowa would like to remind faculty, staff, and students that the second instructional break day will be Wednesday, April 14.
Although the UI canceled spring break to deter travel and help prevent the spread of COVID-19 on our campus and in the community, two instructional break days were scheduled during the spring 2021 semester to give faculty and students a brief respite from instruction. The first took place in March.
As a reminder, this means that classes are canceled, no assignments may be given, and no work may be due on April 14. This policy applies to all forms of organized courses, including lectures, discussions, and labs. Likewise, office hours should be canceled.
Due to the unique needs of their curriculum, professional colleges and programs were able to request an exception from the instructional breaks. If students in professional colleges or programs have questions, they should contact their academic program office.
The university acknowledges that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a major effect on the well-being of all faculty, staff, and students. Even though the vaccine provides us with a renewed sense of hope, we may continue to find ourselves struggling with feeling stressed and overwhelmed.
Please know that the university offers resources to help you cope.
For more information about mental health resources, see mentalhealth.uiowa.edu.
For counseling and support, the Employee Assistance Program offers confidential counseling at no cost for UI employees and their families.
Reminder: Upcoming Mental Health Presentation Series
Coping in the time of COVID-19 continues to be an uncharted, life-changing task for everyone, and it can make caring for your own mental health and the mental health of those around you a challenge.
Join or re-watch one of these upcoming mental health panel discussions to identify ways you can continue caring for yourself and others.
Is everything I feel my fault? Feeling depressed and anxious when it actually may be sadness and stress
Thursday, April 8, 1 to 2 p.m. CST
Led by Stacey McElroy-Heltzel, assistant professor of psychological and quantitative foundations
To access the presentations and subsequent recordings, visit: mentalhealth.uiowa.edu/presentation-series.
For more information about mental health resources, see mentalhealth.uiowa.edu.
For counseling and support, the Employee Assistance Program offers confidential counseling at no cost for UI employees and their families; or University Counseling Service offers confidential counseling and support for students. Participate in Kognito Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Training.
Campus Operations Update
The university continues to monitor self-reported COVID-19 testing data on campus, while also tracking state, region, and national COVID-19 infection rates.
University of Iowa Self-Reported COVID-19 Testing
These data reflect new cases since April 5, 2021.
The University of Iowa has published an updated snapshot of self-reported positive COVID-19 tests from faculty, staff, and students.
Number of self-reported cases of COVID-19:
Students
- New cases: 8
- Total cases: 3,112
Employees
- New cases: 2
- Total cases: 470
These numbers reflect only self-reported positive or presumed positive COVID-19 tests from UI faculty, staff, and students on the academic campus since Aug. 18, 2020. These data will not match data reported by UI Hospitals & Clinics or by the Iowa Department of Public Health for several reasons, including different testing time intervals and geographic scope. Students who also are employees of the university are only reported in the student number to avoid double counting. The UI has more than 30,000 students and nearly 30,000 employees. Many employees continue to work remotely but have self-reported to authorize sick leave.
Number of residence hall students in quarantine: 0*
Number of residence hall students in self-isolation: 2**
*Quarantine: Quarantine is used to keep someone who might have been exposed to COVID-19 away from others.
**Self-isolation: Isolation is used to separate people infected.