UI opens vaccine sign-up to employees as eligibility expands statewide

Employees can now join students in signing up to receive a COVID-19 vaccine through the University of Iowa, which is receiving a supply of Johnson & Johnson vaccines from the state of Iowa.

The+Old+Capitol+Building+is+seen+on+Monday%2C+March+1%2C+2021.

Raquele Decker

The Old Capitol Building is seen on Monday, March 1, 2021.

Caleb McCullough, Managing Editor


Employees of the University of Iowa can now sign up to receive a vaccine through the university, the UI said in a campus-wide email Monday.

Staff who wish to be vaccinated through the UI will have to complete a survey through ReadySet, an employee health platform.

Vaccine eligibility opened for all Iowans on Monday, though public health officials warn the supply may not meet the demand immediately.

Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Wednesday the UI would be one of four colleges and universities to receive shipments of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to be administered to students, faculty, and staff in an effort to vaccinate students before the summer.

On Friday, the UI opened a survey for students to indicate interest in receiving the vaccine through Student Health. The survey tells students they will be contacted to schedule an appointment for the vaccine as doses become available. The university is not requiring the COVID-19 vaccine for students or employees.

While the UI says students and employees will be notified and able to schedule an appointment, the campus emails don’t specify a timeframe for when students and employees can expect to be notified to set up an appointment.

“While we expect to have increased availability over the coming weeks, it will take time to get everyone scheduled for vaccination,” the UI’s vaccine information webpage says. “We are moving as quickly as we can through the supply, but we cannot control when and how many doses we receive.”

As of Monday, 38,000 Johnson County residents had completed a full vaccination through either a two-dose or one-dose vaccine series, about 25 percent of the county, according to the state’s coronavirus website. Statewide, 21.3 percent of Iowans have received a full vaccine series, according to the Washington Post’s vaccine tracker.

New positive cases

The UI also reported four new self-reported positive cases since Friday among employees and students. Three of the positive cases were students, and one was an employee. The UI reported one residence hall student is in self-isolation.

The total number of cases on campus since August 2020 is now 3,572.