To the campus community:

Please remember to get vaccinated as soon as possible! While the beginning of Fall semester may seem a long way away, it will be here before we know it. With the two-dose protocol (Moderna and Pfizer), you must wait up to four weeks between shots, and you are not considered fully vaccinated until several weeks after the second vaccine. The time to get your first shot is now.

In COVID news, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), along with the CDC, is particularly concerned about the Delta variant, which originated in India. This variant was changed recently by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from a variant of interest to a variant of concern, and it is expected to become the dominant variant in the U.S. The good news is that the current vaccines are effective at protection from all variants.

The Delta variant is of particular concern because it:

• Is more easily transmissible
• Causes more severe illness
• Is more resistant to proven COVID treatments

REMINDER: Vaccinations are critical for our campus to return to a sense of normalcy. Please get vaccinated if you have not done so already, and upload your vaccination documentation ASAP. Students should upload to the Student Health Center and employees should submit here. By submitting an image of your vaccination card, you are eligible for weekly prize drawings every Tuesday, starting tomorrow. Those who submit by tomorrow will be among entries for next Tuesday’s drawing.

Questions? Email COVIDVaccination@umw.edu.