Update on possible vaccine options for eligible groups

Dear Stanford community,

With COVID-19 vaccine eligibility in California expanding this month, I am writing to share an update about the situation in the Stanford area and possible options for the campus community, including students.

As you are likely aware, more groups of people are now eligible to receive a vaccine. Under the State of California’s latest guidelines:

• Individuals who are 50 and older became eligible on April 1.
• Those 16 and older will become eligible on April 15.

Already eligible: health care workers and persons at risk of occupational exposure to COVID-19 through their work in education and child care, emergency services, and the food and agriculture industries.

Supplies & Appointments

Vaccine supplies to health care providers have varied wildly from week to week and locale to locale. While we are hopeful that more will be available soon, we understand that the low number of appointments and other challenges have made the scheduling process frustrating.

As a university, Stanford does not receive its own supply of vaccine. We encourage anyone who is eligible to seek vaccination appointments through any available distribution channel in the county where you live.

COVID-19 vaccines can be scheduled through health care providers including Stanford Health Care, pharmacies and vaccination sites. Resources for those wishing to make appointments include Stanford’s Vaccinations website and these external websites:

• Californians can schedule appointments for vaccines and sign up for notifications at MyTurn.
• Telegram app’s BayAreaVaccineNotification channel can help identify vaccine appointments in real time.
• VaccineFinder can help locate providers who offer vaccines.
• The sccfreevax.org website is the official source for vaccine-related information in Santa Clara County.
• The sccfreevax.org website is the official source for vaccine-related information in Santa Clara County.
• Vaccine information for San Mateo County is available here.
• A number of area pharmacies now offer first and second dose vaccinations to eligible groups, with CVS, RiteAid, Safeway/Albertsons and Walgreens scheduling locally.

Please keep in mind that right now, your vaccination status does not change your access to campus or the university’s expectations for compliance with safety protocols, including wearing face coverings and physical distancing. The university is evaluating these issues for the longer term.

Information for Students

For students hoping to get vaccinated once the age requirement changes on April 15, we do not currently have a timeframe for availability, due to providers struggling with supply limitations.

We encourage you to reach out to vaccine providers in the county where you currently reside, and take advantage of the first appointment that is available. Despite the fluctuating vaccine supply, we know that many Stanford students who have met earlier eligibility requirements have been able to obtain vaccines from Stanford Health Care and multiple other providers across the Bay Area.

Following your vaccination, please enter your information into the Vaden Health Services portal, so that this information can be part of your immunization records. To do this, please visit the Vaden Patient Portal, go to the left menu, choose “Immunization Upload” at the bottom of the page, and then upload a copy of your completed immunization card.

Appreciation and More Information

We are grateful to our campus community for working to keep one another healthy and safe.

We recognize that you will have more questions about vaccine guidelines and access, especially as circumstances evolve. We will continue working to provide the most accurate information available, through these updates and at http://healthalerts.stanford.edu/vaccinations, to help you navigate the process.

Russell Furr
Associate Vice Provost
Environmental Health & Safety