Mar 10, 2021
Dear colleagues,
As you have likely heard by now, Orange County has opened up vaccinations to Phase 1B Tier 1 populations, which includes persons at risk of occupational exposure through their work in higher education. This is great news!
We are proud of the vaccination site that UCI Health and the campus have developed and hope to continue using it to distribute vaccines. However, at the present time, vaccine allocations to the University of California remain extremely limited. As a result, we want to again encourage all employees to get vaccinated through any available channel. To facilitate this we collect some relevant information here:
- MyTurn statewide portal – Visit the MyTurn statewide portal (myturn.ca.gov) to see if appointments are available. Appointments may require you to drive–within an hour’s radius.
- OC Health Care Agency – OCHA lists a range of resources and links to help locate vaccine providers including medical providers and pharmacy chains at https://occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/covid-19-vaccine-distribution-channels.
- Your healthcare provider – Many hospitals and medical providers are offering the COVID-19 vaccines for those who are eligible.
- Pharmacies – Pharmacies located throughout the region may have available vaccine appointments.
- Othena for Orange County residents – You can also register with Othena (https://www.othena.com) to receive the vaccination from Orange County.
For those who live outside Orange County, you may have other options near your residence.
- Long Beach Health Department – If you live in Long Beach, which has its own health department, go to http://longbeach.gov/health/diseases-and-condition/information-on/coronavirus/vaxlb/ and sign up for VAXLB.
- Riverside County Public Health Department – If you live in Riverside County, sign up at https://www.rivcoph.org/COVID-19-Vaccine-with-Registration.
- San Bernardino County Health Department – For San Bernardino County, use https://sbcovid19.com/vaccine/locations/.
Unfortunately, a number of email, phone, and text message vaccine scams are starting to proliferate. Please be careful. No legitimate vaccine provider will contact you unsolicited asking for personal information. Read the latest report for more information on vaccine scams, and please share this information with your friends and family members.
Most vaccination sites require a photo ID with your age and documentation that you are eligible. To establish your eligibility as a higher education employee, you should bring proof of employment (e.g., an employment verification letter and a recent paystub). You can download an employment verification letter direct from UCPath https://ucpath.uci.edu or you can contact UCI’s COVID Response Center (CRC) team at covid19@uci.edu or (949) 824-9918 to obtain a UCI employment verification letter. Email and phone lines are staffed Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Please get the vaccine. It is safe, effective, and our best chance at expediting a return to normal activity. UCI Health developed a robust FAQ to help answer any questions or concerns you may have. You may learn more by viewing the UCI Health town hall that was held on February 25.
Thank you once again for all that you have done over the past year.
Sincerely,
Hal S. Stern, Ph.D.
Interim Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
Chancellor’s Professor, Department of Statistics