The University of Iowa will receive $24.9 million in federal aid this spring from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund.

In a campus-wide email Wednesday, the university announced $8 million will be for student aid and almost $17 million will be for institutional support. Student aid will be distributed by the UI’s Office of Financial Aid to 4,700 eligible students experiencing financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the email.

The aid comes after the approval of a second stimulus package by the U.S. Congress in Dec. 2020. 

The UI also reported 11 new cases of COVID-19 on campus in the email. Eight students and three employees have contracted the virus. One student is in quarantine in the residence halls.

Since the beginning of the 2020-21 academic year, 3,312 cases of novel coronavirus have been reported in the UI community. 

Campus Health Officer Dan Fick answered frequently asked questions about the COVID-19 vaccine in a video update to Hawkeyes. He said the UI has vaccinated most of its frontline healthcare workers at the UI’s Hospital and Clinics.

“The University of Iowa is following the Iowa Department of Public Health’s guidelines for priority populations in phase 1A, which is limited to healthcare personnel and those working and living in residential care or long-term care facilities,” he said. “Faculty, staff, and students who have been identified as clinical care providers will be notified of their eligibility in the coming days.”

It will likely take the next few weeks or longer to vaccinate the entire group, Fick said. He thanked students, faculty, and staff for being patient due to the limited supply of vaccines.

Fick also updated the university on Iowa’s plan to begin phase 1B of the COVID-19 plan in February.

“The university’s Vaccination Distribution Work Group, along with Johnson County, is reviewing the phase 1B recommendations to determine eligible populations on campus,” he said. “We will share that soon. Please understand there [are] limited vaccine[s], so not everyone will be able to be vaccinated right away in February.”