Dear Barnard Faculty and Staff,
As we begin the Spring semester, we want to update you on our efforts to prepare for the continued rollout of vaccinations to be administered in New York.
We are pleased to share that Deputy General Counsel Andrea Stagg will lead our vaccine working group, which will be responsible for monitoring the vaccination distribution program in New York City and New York State and regularly updating us all on vaccine eligibility and the process for obtaining the vaccine.
Phase 1A vaccinations began last month. That phase includes healthcare workers, residents and staff at nursing homes, people conducting COVID-19 testing, and people giving the COVID-19 vaccinations. Members of our community who work in these categories (i.e., members of the Primary Care Health and Pandemic Response teams) were eligible and have begun the vaccination process.
New York State announced that they will now begin scheduling Phase 1B vaccinations starting today, Monday, Jan. 11.
As per state guidance, the early stage of this phase, which starts today, includes the following groups:
- People 75 and older
- Pre-K through 12th grade teachers and education workers
- Licensed and registered child care providers
- School-bus drivers
- First responders, meaning local police, State Police, Sheriff’s Office employees, professional and volunteer firefighters
- EMS workers, whether professional or volunteer
- Public transit workers, meaning airline and airport employees, passenger railroad employees, subway and mass transit employees, ferry employees, Port Authority employees, and public bus drivers
- Public safety workers
- In-person college faculty or instructors
We are encouraged by the inclusion of higher education faculty who are teaching in-person in this early part of Phase 1B. Currently there is not more specific guidance available about the level of in-person teaching or in-person interaction required for eligibility. The College will continue to update you with information about eligibility as it develops.
If you think you are eligible, please complete this New York State form to find a site to be vaccinated, or click here to find New York City vaccination sites.
Additionally, NYS and NYC have each launched hotlines that may be used by eligible members of the community to schedule a vaccination appointment:
NYC: (877) VAX- 4NYC (1-877-829-4692)
NYS: (833) NYS - 4VAX (1-833-697-4829)
Currently, there is no centralized online system to schedule appointments once eligibility has been confirmed. As the vaccine rollout develops, a more centralized online system may be developed. The College will continue to monitor this and provide any links and updates to the community as soon as possible.
We do expect all higher education faculty and staff to be included in Phase 1B as it progresses, and we will be monitoring this issue closely and update you accordingly via email and on the Vaccine Info and Other Resources page of our Alert website.
For the safety of all, we strongly encourage our community members to get the vaccine as soon as they are eligible. We are committed to following city and state guidelines to ensure that those who need the vaccine most receive it first. We are in the process of creating a way for students, faculty, and staff who receive the vaccine to inform us that they have done so in accordance with applicable laws and guidance, and more information about how to do that will follow soon.
The city and state continue to expand vaccination distribution sites, and the College will share links to that information as more of our community becomes eligible for the vaccine. We are also exploring our ability to become a vaccination site. The current priority is for large publicly accessible sites; however, we will continue to engage with the appropriate city agencies to determine our role, if any, in vaccine distribution.
We expect this situation (the demand for vaccines, the available distribution sites, the supply of vaccines) to continue to change rapidly, especially given the upcoming change in presidential administration. Please know that we will continue to share information about the vaccine as it becomes available, via both email and the website.
Additional COVID-19 Vaccine Resources:
- New York State’s Vaccine Eligibility Screening Tool
- New York State’s distribution plan
- NYC interim vaccination plan
- NYC vaccine command center
- NYC vaccine locations
- NY vaccine eligibility form
Our best to you all,
Jomysha Delgado Stephen '96
Executive Vice President of the College,
General Counsel & Chief of Staff to the President
Andrea Stagg
Deputy General Counsel