email : Webview : Updated UC COVID-19 Booster Requirements for Staff and Faculty

January 6, 2022

Dear Staff and Faculty Colleagues,

We are writing to share details regarding the updated vaccine requirements for UC Santa Barbara staff and faculty, and to reiterate and clarify the specifics of campus plans for testing and masking during Winter Quarter that were covered in our December 29, 2021 message, which many people may have missed due to the holiday closures across campus.

These details have been developed by campus medical experts in close consultation with the COVID-19 Response Working Group and campus leadership.

Required Booster Vaccination

All faculty and staff accessing any UC facility are required to obtain a COVID-19 booster vaccine by February 4, 2022 to comply with UC’s SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Program.

If you are currently eligible for the booster (see eligibility criteria below) but have not received one, you should do so as soon as possible. Individuals with previously approved exemptions are also exempt from the booster requirement.

UC Santa Barbara is partnering with the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department to hold a Booster Vaccination Clinic for the campus and broader communities at Embarcadero Hall in Isla Vista. The clinic will be in operation January 11, 13, 18 and 25 from 9 am – 5 pm, by appointment available through the MyTurn system.

Booster doses also are widely available at pharmacies and medical clinics.

The CDC now defines “fully vaccinated” as a person who has received a booster vaccination for COVID-19.
The CDC recommends a booster beginning five months after completing the original vaccination series of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, six months after the Moderna vaccine, and two months after the J&J/Janssen vaccine. These timelines define “booster eligibility”.
At least 84 percent of the campus community is already eligible for a booster and will be tracked for compliance with California’s state reporting system. We will continue to track eligibility for our campus population.
Influenza vaccinations also are required, unless you attest that you have read the educational information and decline, AND agree to mask through the end of flu season.

COVID Testing — Return to Campus

All staff and faculty who will be on campus during Winter Quarter are strongly encouraged to obtain a campus COVID-19 test as soon as possible.

Testing is available to the campus community free of charge by appointment (8:30 am – 4:45 pm) through the Student Health Patient Portal. Your appointment will provide you with your testing QR code and minimize crowding at the clinic.
Self-administered test kits, with enclosed instructions, should be picked up outside of Loma Pelona.
Saliva samples should be prepared at least 50 feet from the testing clinic and at least six feet from other individuals and then returned to the clinic.
Samples must be returned to the clinic within 4 hours of their preparation.

Anyone who receives a positive COVID-19 test result on campus will be contacted by the UCSB COVID-19 Medical Team to identify and inform any close contacts. More information can be found in the Health & Wellbeing section of the UCSB COVID-19 Information webpages.

Masking

Vaccination combined with indoor masking was exceptionally effective at mitigating campus transmission during Fall Quarter. There were no cases of any variant of COVID-19 associated with any regular classroom activities. Thus, it is essential that we maintain our very high level of compliance in the use of high-quality masks when indoors.

The campus will continue to provide high-quality surgical type masks to all students, staff, and faculty.
Department representatives can pick up face masks from the Campus Bookstore loading dock during business hours, located on the west side of the UCEN. No request form is needed.
Staff and faculty may request and be provided with an N95 type mask.
The campus mask mandate does not distinguish “shared” or “public” spaces from other locations. All indoor spaces on campus, including research spaces, are subject to the masking requirement, with the exception of individual residences in campus housing, dining halls while eating, or individual offices with one person with the door closed.
Everyone is encouraged to wear a mask outdoors in crowded settings when on campus.

General questions can be directed to the UCSB COVID-19 Call Center by email at ucsb-covid19@ucsb.edu, or by phone at (805) 893-3113, weekdays from 8 am – 4 pm.

Sincerely,

Scott Grafton, M.D., Ph.D.
Campus COVID-Mitigation Program Manager

Stuart Feinstein
COVID-19 Response Team Coordinator and Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Vejas Skripkus, M.D.
Executive Director of Student Health and Campus Physician

Mary Ferris, M.D.
Campus COVID-19 Clinical Advisor

UC Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA | 93106 United States

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