CHROs:
Please see the message below and the attachment that updates the vaccine prioritization previously announced by NC DHHS and was sent to your chancellors this afternoon. We will continue to seek additional details on the definition of “essential worker” and share further details as available.
Thanks, Kathy
Dear Chancellors:
As discussed during our call this morning, NC DHHS has announced updated COVID vaccine prioritization. The new priority categories (now referred to as “groups” instead of “phases) as described on the DHHS COVID vaccine websitehttps://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/vaccines are:
Group 1: Health care workers & Long-Term Care staff and residents (active group)
* Health care workers with in-person patient contact * Long-term care staff and residents—people in skilled nursing facilities, adult care homes and continuing care retirement communities
Group 2: Older adults (active group)
* Anyone 65 years or older, regardless of health status or living situation.
Group 3: Frontline essential workers
* The CDC defines frontline essential workers as workers who are in sectors essential to the functioning of society and who are at substantially higher risk for exposure to COVID-19.
Group 4: Adults at high risk for exposure and increased risk of severe illness
* Anyone 16-64 years old with high-risk medical conditions that increase risk of severe disease from COVID-19 such as cancer, COPD, serious heart conditions, sickle cell disease, Type 2 diabetes, among others, regardless of living situation. * Anyone who is incarcerated or living in other close group living settings who is not already vaccinated due to age, medical condition or job function. * Essential workers not yet vaccinated. The CDC defines these as workers in transportation and logistics, water and wastewater, food service, shelter and housing (e.g., construction), finance (e.g., bank tellers), information technology and communications, energy, legal, media, public safety (e.g., engineers) and public health workers. * Group 5: Everyone who wants a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccination.
We have not yet received additional guidance from DHHS. When we do, we will share it with you. Based on conversations with DHHS and Secretary Cohen’s remarks during this afternoon’s press conference, I can offer the following:
1. University faculty and staff. There is no separate group or category for education workers. Instead, UNC faculty and staff are eligible for the vaccine based on the Group that applies to that individual. For example: * A faculty member age 65 or older falls under Group 2 and is eligible for the vaccination now. * A staff member who meets the definition of a “frontline essential worker” is eligible under Group 3 (A frontline essential worker is one who “is in a sector essential to the functioning of society and is at substantially higher risk for exposure to COVID-19.” I do not have any more information at this time on the definition of a frontline essential worker).
1. Students. There is no longer a separate category prioritizing students (recall students were previously in “Phase 3” ahead of “Phase 4”). Now, students become eligible for the vaccine based on the Group into which an individual student falls. For example: * A student who is age 65 is eligible under Group 2. * A student who does not fall into any other Group would be eligible under Group 5.
Note on students: I do not know if “living in other close group living settings” under Group 4 applies to student housing and will seek further guidance from DHHS.
As we receive more information, we will share it with you.
Best wishes, Norma
Norma Houston Chief of Staff The University of North Carolina System 910 Raleigh Road Chapel Hill, NC 27515x-apple-data-detectors://1/0 nrhouston@northcarolina.edumailto:nrhouston@northcarolina.edu www.northcarolina.eduhttp://www.northcarolina.edu/ [cid:image002.png@01D6EA97.5C35F690] Individually Remarkable, Collectively Extraordinary
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