Gov. Brian Kemp expanded COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to everyone ages 16 and over as of Thursday, March 25. This is an important milestone in our COVID-19 response and good news for the Emory University community as we continue to prepare to return to campus in the fall.
All faculty, staff and students can now register to be vaccinated, but please remember that scheduling appointments is subject to vaccine availability. Students can provide their consent and schedule a vaccination online and can contact studentvaccineschedulinghelp@emory.edu with questions.
Many public vaccination sites are also offered across the state. So, if you are able to get a vaccine outside of Emory Healthcare, please do so. A list of other vaccination sites in Georgia can be found here.
Please note that there is no cost for vaccinations at any location.
The university will provide transportation to and from the Emory Northlake COVID Vaccine Clinic for students, faculty and staff on the Atlanta and Oxford campuses who need transportation to their appointment (or to volunteer). Students, faculty and staff can schedule shuttle service by visiting the Vaccine FAQs on Emory Forward. Here are some important details to know based on your campus location:
Atlanta Campus:
Please book your shuttle ride as soon as you have scheduled your vaccination appointment. Shuttle appointments should be made at least 24 hours in advance.
Shuttle appointments will be available Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Saturday shuttle appointments will be available on March 27 and April 17, 3:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Oxford Campus:
Shuttle appointments to travel to and from oxford to the Northlake Mall must be made at least 24 hours in advance on the hour or half hour (:00 or :30). One person per reservation.
Shuttle service will be available Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., and Saturday 3:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Please keep and secure all relevant vaccination documentation. This is important given potential future requirements (i.e. travel, events, etc.) that may require confirmation of vaccination status.
While vaccinations are a critical tool in our fight against COVID-19, we will all need to continue following important infection prevention measures at this time, regardless of vaccination status, including complying with testing protocols, wearing face coverings, washing our hands and maintaining physical distancing.
As a result of our community pulling together to comply with public health practices and testing protocols, we have been able to support some welcome revisions to our policies affecting gathering limits, visitors to campus and athletic programs.
While these changes are demonstrable signs of our progress, even as we remain in the orange operating condition, we must show continued vigilance. Testing continues to be absolutely vital to containment, so please observe the required protocols:
- Students living on campus need to continue testing twice weekly.
- If you live off campus and come to campus for any reason, you are required to onboard, test weekly and complete a screening test within seven days of visiting campus.
To support Emory’s testing requirements, compliance measures are in place for both students living on and off campus. For off-campus students in noncompliance, your compliance status will turn from ‘green’ to ‘red’ if you have not completed a test in the past seven days. Remaining in noncompliance will result in Wi-Fi access restrictions, reduced internet speed and building access restrictions. If you continue to remain in noncompliance, you may be subject to further student conduct sanctions.
The easiest way for any student, on or off campus, to return to compliance is to complete a screening test. Register online now to take a test.
For students gathering off campus, don’t let your guard down. We all feel moments of frustration with regard to restrictions on our activities, but the commitment to our safety — and the safety of others — must be our guide. Your actions and behaviors off campus are just as important to the health of the entire community as your activities on campus. Limit gathering sizes, wear a face covering and practice physical distancing both on and off campus.
Care and respect for one another always has been a point of pride for our community. As much as what is learned in the classroom, this is part and parcel of an Emory education. As we take every care for a full return to campus in the fall, fulfilling our individual role in this campus partnership is the key to success for all of us.
We recognize that some of these measures take extra time and effort, but it is an investment in a healthier community. In keeping with one of the principal delights of spring, we all are empowered to feel in a lighter mood for having acted responsibly.
Finally, for those graduating this spring, I look forward to the remarks of Dr. Anthony Fauci at Commencement. We can feel a special pride in knowing that the kind of counsel he and other public health leaders offered for the past year has guided our efforts here at Emory.
Amir St. Clair is Emory’s associate vice president and executive director of COVID-19 response and recovery.
Update (4/1/21 at 1:55 p.m.): This article has been updated to include information for students who may require transportation to hospitals or clinics to receive their COVID-19 vaccination or to volunteer at the clinics.
Amir St. Clair is Emory’s associate vice president and executive director of COVID-19 response and recovery.
