February 16, 2021
Dear UNL Faculty and Staff –
As we move forward in our efforts to keep our UNL community safe in close partnership with the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department (LLCHD), we are making a COVID vaccination registry available for UNL employees living or working in Lancaster County.
The LLCHD is making plans to move forward with the education sector as part of the county’s Phase 1B vaccination program. A registry portal has been opened today for UNL employees wishing to be vaccinated. When vaccines become available for this sector, LLCHD will reach out to those in the registry to schedule vaccinations.
This program is open to any UNL employee, including student employees of the university. When an employee goes to the registry, they will be prompted to choose the sector they fall into – and should select “higher education” and then “University of Nebraska.” At this point, each employee will be asked to select the category that best reflects their level of on-campus activity:
- Currently required to be all/mostly in-person on campus
- Currently somewhat remote, but a greater in-person presence is optimal
- Currently all/mostly remote
All UNL employees living or working in Lancaster County will have the opportunity to be vaccinated as part of Phase 1B. Within this, we are first prioritizing those with a needed on-campus presence. UNL employees who live and work outside of Lancaster County should follow the vaccination protocols of your local public health district.
Those UNL employees who have already registered with LLCHD or the State of Nebraska’s registry, such as those age 65 or older and/or those with underlying health conditions that would make them more susceptible to COVID-19, should still also register through this UNL registry. This will help to guarantee your ability to be vaccinated at the first possible opportunity.
This portal will be open to UNL for one week, and will close at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 24. Therefore, it is essential that employees sign up quickly.
As greater vaccine supplies become available, and LLCHD is able to move into vaccinating the education sector, you will be notified by LLCHD to schedule a vaccination appointment.
Vaccinations will not be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Individuals will be invited to schedule their appointment who have registered in this system based on their age, underlying health conditions and selected level of on-campus activity.
While Phase 1B does not apply to students who are not student employees of the university, when vaccines are available for this population, UNL will be working closely with LLCHD to facilitate the vaccination of our students. Any student age 18 or older who has medical conditions placing them at a high risk for COVID and hasn’t already registered with the State of Nebraska and LLCHD, should do so.
We will continue to keep our UNL community apprised on the availability of vaccinations and any changes to our COVID testing programs. As always, additional information is available on our COVID-19 website and by reaching out to COVID19@unl.edu.
Ronnie D. Green, Ph.D.
Chancellor