Dear Faculty, Staff, Students and Families,
On Monday, March 29, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine would expand over the next week to permit everyone over the age of 16 to be immunized. We continue to strongly encourage all members of our campus community to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine as it is a critical step in bringing the pandemic under control.
I am writing to share important information about the eligibility expansions and where you might be able to obtain the vaccine:
Eligibility Expansions
Vaccine eligibility in New York State will be expanded as follows: - Beginning Tuesday, March 30, all individuals age 30 and older will be eligible.
- Beginning Tuesday, April 6, all individuals age 16 and older will be eligible.
Eligibility Letters and Proof of Residency in New York State
Ithaca College will no longer be issuing eligibility letters given that our campus community can now qualify for the vaccine based on age.
Vaccination sites may require that you demonstrate both your age as well as residency within New York State. Therefore, we recommend that you bring to your appointment:
1. Proof of age, such as a driver’s license, birth certificate, or passport;
2. Your Ithaca College ID card or paystub; and
3. Proof of New York State residency (if your driver’s license is from another state), which could include a printout from the HOMER “Personal Information” tab that reflects your local address in Ithaca, your local lease agreement, or official mail in your name (e.g., utility bill, bank statement) that you have received that has your New York State address.
Vaccination Clinics
We do not anticipate being able to hold a clinic on campus soon as we have not been notified that vaccine will be made available directly to the college. We will inform the campus community if that changes. The best options to obtain the vaccine remain as follows:
1. Place your name on the Tompkins County Vaccine Registry to be notified when appointment slots become available in the community. This does not guarantee an appointment. These clinics are typically held at the Shops at Ithaca Mall. The Shops at Ithaca Mall site is accessible by TCAT (Route 11 with a transfer to Route 30).
2. Local pharmacies, including CVS Pharmacy, Kinney Drugs, Walgreens, and Wegmans may have limited appointments available. These pharmacies are also accessible by TCAT.
3. Use the Am I Eligible tool to make an appointment at a state vaccination clinic. The Syracuse and Binghamton sites are closest to the Ithaca College campus. Information about transportation to vaccination sites is also available at this link.
Please note that we cannot guarantee appointment slots for Ithaca College faculty, staff, or students at any of these locations.
Student Emergency Travel Requests
We will no longer require that students who are leaving Tompkins County for a few hours, only for the purpose of obtaining their COVID-19 vaccine, to submit an Emergency Travel Request form. The expectation is that students are going directly to their vaccine appointment and returning to the campus. Students who are traveling to a location to obtain the vaccine where they are remaining overnight must complete the Emergency Travel Request form.
Updating Your Health Records After Vaccination
We ask that the campus community take the following steps following vaccination:
- Students: Please email a copy of your immunization card to Hammond Health Center at healthcenter@ithaca.edu to update your health records.
- Employees: Please keep your immunization card in a safe place that is easily retrievable or share with your personal health care provider to update your health records. You may also wish to take a photo of your card to keep on your mobile device or scan it to save a digital copy.
Governor Cuomo also announced the availability of the Excelsior Pass as an additional way to store your COVID-19 vaccination and testing information.
Public Health Measures After Vaccination
The guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the impact of COVID-19 vaccination continues to evolve. The CDC recently recommend that fully immunized individuals be exempt from quarantine if named as a close contact of a positive case, which we have adopted.
We do need you to comply with public health measures even once vaccinated, as we still have many unvaccinated members of our campus community. Until notified otherwise by Ithaca College, plan to maintain the required testing frequency and comply with all other requirements, such as completing the Daily Health Screening, wearing a face covering, maintaining six feet of physical distance and avoiding gatherings, and practicing good hand hygiene.
We greatly appreciate that you get vaccinated to protect yourself against developing severe COVID-19 disease, and to benefit the broader community by contributing to bringing the pandemic under control.
Sincerely,
Christina Moylan, Ph.D.
Director, Public Health Emergency Preparedness
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