UT System sets COVID-19 vaccination deadlines

Workers must comply with federal mandate

The University of Tennessee System has set deadlines for its workers to receive their COVID-19 vaccination to keep the university in compliance with a federal mandate.

Vaccines are required for all workers since the university falls under a presidential executive order for federal contractors. The university system receives hundreds of millions of dollars each year from the federal government.

The university said in an email to staffers that administrators are still reviewing the details of the executive order but urged all employees — even those who work remotely — to get vaccinated now in order to meet the Dec. 8 deadline.

UT System President Randy Boyd wrote in the email that the university is “required to ensure that all covered employees are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 … unless the employee is legally entitled to an accommodation due to a medical condition or religious belief. The guidance does not include testing as an alternative to the vaccine requirement. Employees who have had a prior COVID-19 infection are also required by the executive order to be vaccinated.”

Employees can choose which vaccine to receive. Vaccines are free and widely available at pharmacies, medical offices and special clinics.

The email included updated deadlines for each type of vaccine:

› Wednesday for Moderna (two shots, four weeks apart plus two weeks to take full effect).

› Nov. 3 for Pfizer (two shots, three weeks apart plus two weeks to take full effect).

› Nov. 24 for Johnson & Johnson (one shot plus two weeks to take full effect).

UT has promoted the power of vaccinations since they became available, and has hosted shot clinics for students, staff and community

“At least 64% of students at the University of Tennes- see at Knoxville have received one vaccine dose,” Chancellor Donde Plowman said last week, although the student vaccination data only includes those who received their shots in the state of Tennessee.

Over 75% of faculty and 73% of staff are either fully vaccinated or are on track to complete their vaccination process, she said last week.

A website answering questions about the UT vaccine deadlines says the consequences of not receiving the vaccine in time haven’t been determined.

“We will share more information when it is available, including information about the consequences for covered employees who do not provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination,” the website says.

Employees are encouraged to verify their vaccination status in a web portal. Employees can also request medical or religious exemptions.