What vaccine options are being considered?
Massachusetts has used a phased approach to opening up vaccine eligibility, and changed the vaccine distribution to centralize with mass vaccination sites, community health centers, and certain pharmacies. We applied for vaccine allocation for employees, dependents, and students of Phillips Academy in December through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Some vaccine is being sent to sites beyond those mentioned above. We are still on the list through our application, however, we do not know if the state will allocate vaccine to us or other schools.
We contacted Pfizer directly and were told that the company is not contracting with private sites for the COVID-19 vaccine.
We contacted the mass vaccination sites, pharmacies, urgent care centers, and other sites that have been administering the COVID-19 vaccine. Currently, these sites do not have approval to come to campus, and will not hold times for group appointments. Several suggested that this might change after April 19 when the majority of our students become eligible.
Can day students make an appointment to be vaccinated on their own?
Yes, as long as the vaccination site follows the safety parameters we have previously established, including distancing, masking, sanitizing, and limited numbers of people.
What if I choose to take my boarding student off campus to get vaccinated? Does it change anything if I am fully vaccinated?
You may take your student off campus to get vaccinated, and your student will need to access the program remotely for the rest of the term (regardless of your COVID-19 vaccination status).
Why are you limiting my child’s access to the COVID-19 vaccine?
That is not the intent. As we continue to try to procure vaccines for the campus, we are focusing our efforts on other risk prevention strategies that have kept our community safe all year. We will continue to explore ways to vaccinate eligible students in a streamlined and safe way.
What if my child is eligible already?
We are maintaining the same protocol. We cannot accommodate requests for individual appointments off campus.