Health center director says there’s no timeline on when UMD could get COVID-19 vaccines

There is no timeline for when the University of Maryland may receive the coronavirus vaccine, health center director Spyridon Marinopoulos wrote in a campuswide email Monday. 

The university has not received vaccines to distribute to the campus community, but some employees are now eligible to receive the vaccine, according to the email. So far, all vaccines in Maryland — about 72,000 to 76,000 per week — have been distributed to hospitals, local health departments and other partners.

The state moved into phase 1C of its vaccine distribution plan on Monday, allowing all individuals over the age of 65 to be vaccinated. Prince George’s County is encouraging those included in phase 1C to pre-register for a vaccine.

[UMD has yet to receive COVID-19 vaccine doses, health center says]

Last week, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan confirmed that certain faculty and staff at colleges and universities are included in phases 1B and 1C, according to the email. Phase 1B includes individuals 75 years old and older, as well as teachers and residents of assisted living facilities.

In general, only employees who are teaching in-person classes or working in “essential roles” on campus are eligible, according to the state’s guidance. Staff and faculty may also be eligible to receive the vaccine for reasons unrelated to their work, according to the email.

Prince George’s County is offering vaccines to university employees if there is availability, according to the email. The state has instructed vaccination sites to “prioritize Marylanders who are 75 and older in Phase 1B, and Marylanders who are 65 and older over all other groups in Phase 1C.”

[All Maryland hospitals will have COVID-19 vaccine doses within two weeks]

Additionally, all health care workers at the health center have received the vaccine, university President Darryll Pines said in an interview Monday morning.

The students on the university’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution task force are forming a group to spread credible information about the vaccine, according to a message on a university listserv Monday. The group is seeking student volunteers to advocate for the vaccine in the community.