All University of Texas at Dallas faculty, staff and students are encouraged to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible to ensure a return to a comprehensive campus experience this fall.
“Reaching population/herd immunity among the UT Dallas community is the only way we will be able to resume all of our in-person activities in the fall,” said Dr. Rafael Martín, UT Dallas vice president and chief of staff.
To assist in that effort, UT Southwestern Medical Center is operating a community COVID-19 vaccination site on the UT Dallas campus. The site, located in the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center, provides vaccinations for anyone age 16 or older. All students, faculty and staff — including those who are not currently UTSW patients — may register on the medical center’s vaccine registration portal and should be able to schedule a same-day appointment. In addition, anyone age 16 or older can receive a vaccine for free at any county vaccination site or participating pharmacy offering the vaccines.
“Ongoing transmission of COVID-19 within the community, threatening those with compromised immune systems and/or with underlying health conditions that make them more vulnerable, would require us to maintain public health and safety measures, like social distancing and limiting attendance for events,” Martín said. “I encourage everyone in our community to get vaccinated as soon as possible. This is the best way for us to be able to return to all of the activities and interactions that make UT Dallas a vibrant and exciting campus.”
The successful Comets United protocols that have remained in place to safeguard the health of faculty, staff and students will continue with some new modifications to accommodate those who have received the COVID-19 vaccine and filled out an online report form, he said.
Those who are vaccinated are strongly encouraged to fill out the UT Dallas voluntary vaccine reporting form, which will help campus officials assess how close the campus community is to reaching herd immunity. Furthermore, modifications to campus safety protocols have been updated based on new recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Effective May 1, 2021, fully vaccinated individuals who are registered through the UT Dallas vaccine reporting site:
- Will no longer need to wear a mask outdoors on campus, except when at a crowded event;
- Will no longer be required to quarantine/isolate and may continue working on campus after a known COVID-19 exposure;
- Will no longer need to quarantine in campus housing after a known COVID-19 exposure (applies to on-campus residents);
- Will be able to opt out of the Daily Health Check; and
- Will be exempted from routine COVID-19 screening. (Unvaccinated and/or unregistered individuals will be subject to routine COVID-19 screening upon their return to campus.)
If an individual exhibits symptoms consistent with COVID-19, regardless of their vaccination status, they should complete a COVID-19 self-report form (English or Spanish) and may be asked to take a COVID-19 test and/or quarantine.
“We remain enormously grateful for the resilience and compassion our campus has shown over the past year as we have navigated the many challenges brought on by the pandemic,” Martín said.