January 7, 2021
Dear UC Santa Barbara Community Members,
As we start our winter quarter, the national news regarding COVID-19 vaccine approvals is a welcomed sign of hope. While we do not know what role UC Santa Barbara will be asked to play, we are preparing for the possibility that we will be asked to serve as a vaccination clinic for our campus community. Unlike our COVID-19 testing program, however, we do not have control over access to vaccines.
The vaccine approval and distribution to campus will be directed by the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department (SBCPHD) under the framework established by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), which is based on the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Phased Allocation guidance.
We wanted to share the information we currently have, but it is important to keep in mind that everything is subject to change.
UC Santa Barbara’s Student Health Service is currently coordinating with SBCPHD to start administering COVID-19 vaccine to campus members identified for Phase 1a – persons at risk of exposure through their work in direct health care. Campus community members who are eligible as part of Phase 1a will be contacted directly. We ask that campus community members refrain from contacting Student Health or the COVID-19 Response team to request a vaccination.
UC Santa Barbara must follow the guidelines provided by the state, county, and federal public health authorities. According to the current guidance, front-line healthcare workers and other first responders will be the first to be offered vaccines. We will not be able to make exceptions.
At this time, we are not yet sure how other members of our UC Santa Barbara community will be able to access the vaccine or if additional vaccines will be made available to campus. We are working closely with the SBCPHD to determine how and when other members of our community will receive their vaccine. As soon as we know more, we will share that information with you.
Until then, if you are able to get a vaccine through your personal healthcare provider, please do so for your safety and the safety of your family and our community.
We are making preparations to provide immunizations quickly, safely, and professionally to whatever extent we are authorized to do so.
Our campus COVID-19 Call Center (ucsb-covid19@ucsb.edu) is open from 8 am – 4 pm Monday through Friday to assist students, faculty, and staff with questions related to other, non-vaccine related COVID-19 issues.
We again strongly urge community members to continue to do your part to keep our community safe - wear your mask, physically distance from others, and follow all public health guidelines as we enter a hopeful new year.
