This message to all students, faculty and staff has been approved by Kyle Clark, Vice President for Finance and Administration.
Florida State University is partnering with Leon County Health Department to vaccinate our community to help reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. A limited allocation of vaccine is being transferred to the University for vaccination of eligible current students and employees in the Tallahassee/Big Bend region who are age 65 or older.
Eligible individuals will receive additional instructions from the University via email the week of Jan. 11.
Vaccination is not mandatory for University students or employees. Individuals are encouraged to speak with their primary care provider to discuss any questions prior to electing to be vaccinated.
We anticipate offering vaccination as early as next week. The vaccine will be administered in two separate doses. Recipients of the vaccine will receive information about their second vaccination at their initial appointment.
The vaccine will be distributed within guidelines provided by the Florida Department of Health.
Included:
- Current full or part-time faculty age 65 or older
- Current full or part-time staff age 65 or older (OPS, USPS, A&P, Executive Service)
- Current full or part-time students age 65 or older
- Current full or part-time faculty, staff or students age 65 or older in the FAMU/FSU College of Engineering
Not included at this time:
- Former students
- Former employees
- Retirees
- Alumni
- Courtesy appointments, unless otherwise specified above
- Employees and students residing outside of the Tallahassee/Big Bend region
There are some pre-existing medical conditions that may exclude you from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and others that you may want to discuss with your primary care provider first in case you have additional questions.
If you have any of these conditions, please consider a consultation with your current medical provider if you need guidance on COVID-19 vaccination for your specific situation:
- Pregnancy
- Breast feeding
- Compromised immune system (such as cancer or if you take certain immunosuppressive medications)
According to the CDC and public health professionals, there are times when you should defer a vaccination for COVID-19 and these include:
- If you have been given any other vaccine 2 weeks before getting the COVID-19 vaccine. You should also not have any other vaccine until more than 2 weeks after the COVID-19 vaccine
- History of severe COVID illness and you were treated with COVID-19 antibodies within the past 3 months
- Currently have a moderate or severe illness
- Recently been diagnosed with COVID-19 and have not yet recovered and been cleared from isolation
- Under quarantine as a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19
If you have a history of allergic reactions, you may still receive the COVID-19 vaccine as long as the allergy was not to a vaccine component. Clinical staff will monitor you after the vaccination for your safety.
Individuals who have the opportunity and would like to vaccinate outside the University are encouraged to do so. Please remember to wear short sleeve clothing that can easily expose your arm on the day of your vaccination. The Leon County Health Department is currently waiting on additional shipments of the vaccine. The University will communicate additional details early next week regarding registration. We will continue to communicate should the University be asked to assist with additional phases of vaccine distribution.
Questions?
Questions regarding vaccination can be directed to HR-COVID19@fsu.edu.