COVID-19 vaccination available to all UIC admitted students

Dear UIC admitted students,

We look forward to your arrival on campus and we want to let you know that getting the COVID-19 vaccine at UIC is easy and available to you now!

UI Health – UIC’s academic health enterprise – is now offering vaccine appointments to all Chicagoans age 16 and over. You can get the COVID-19 vaccine at UIC’s Credit Union 1 Arena, 525 S. Racine Ave. You have three options to take advantage of this safe and effective vaccine to protect yourself and your loved ones:

• Visit UIHealth.Care to schedule an appointment online. In the online screening form, select “No” to the question “Are you an employee of UI Health/UIC, student or affiliate?” You will then be able to select an available appointment.
• Call 833.53.MYVAX (833.536.9829) Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. to schedule an appointment by phone. When calling, please select the option for “established patients” regardless of whether or not you have been seen as a patient at UI Health. As a member of the UIC community, you are considered established for vaccination purposes.
• Walk-ins are also welcome at Credit Union 1 Arena, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

We strongly encourage all members of the UIC community to get vaccinated. We hope that all UIC students will take advantage of the free, convenient vaccination appointments that are available on campus, and make an appointment as soon as possible. If you are under age 18 and you will not be accompanied by a parent or guardian to receive your vaccination, you must have a signed consent form prior to your arrival for the vaccination.

Plan for your second dose
For planning purposes, students should be aware that UI Health is currently offering the Pfizer vaccine at the Credit Union 1 Arena. Individuals receiving the Pfizer vaccine will need two doses – this means two shots – to be considered fully vaccinated. It is recommended that the second dose be administered 21 days following the first dose, or as close to 21 days as possible.

When making appointments, students are encouraged to plan ahead for a second vaccination appointment approximately 21 days later. Appointments for second doses will be scheduled by UI Health staff during first dose appointments.

It is preferred that you receive the second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at the same location where you received the first dose.

Keep your guard up
Although COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective, they not 100% effective and may not protect against asymptomatic transmission. Therefore, everyone should continue wearing a face covering, practicing social distancing, frequent hand washing and staying home if you or a household member have any symptoms of COVID-19 or have tested positive for COVID-19.

Students attending UIC in the fall are required to participate in mandatory on-campus saliva testing – saliva testing combined with vaccination, masking and distancing are all tools to fight the pandemic and keep our campus community safe.

For more information about COVID-19 vaccination at UI Health, visit vaccine.uihealth.care. If you have any questions, please send an email to covidvaccine@uic.edu.

Sincerely,

Robert Barish, MD, MBA
Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs

Susan Bleasdale, MD
Acting Chief Quality Officer and Medical Director, Infection Prevention and Control
UI Health