Jen Lucas and Jeff Foster inform the campus community about Pennsylvania’s vaccine distribution plan for April, finding a provider, planning to receive both doses, and maintaining masking and distancing protocols.
Dear Campus Community,
We are very pleased to share that earlier this week Governor Wolf announced that Pennsylvania is moving to Phase 1B effective Monday, April 5. This is wonderful news for our Gettysburg College employees and students, as they will now be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
- On April 5, Pennsylvania residents in Phase 1B can begin scheduling appointments. Phase 1B includes education workers and applies to postsecondary faculty and staff who work directly with students.
- On April 19, every adult in Pennsylvania will be eligible to start scheduling vaccination appointments. This means that other postsecondary faculty and staff not included in Phase 1B (e.g. those not working directly with students) and students who are currently residing on campus. For students, it is our understanding that students are considered residents of the college where they live. The address of the college should be used when registering for your vaccine.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s website shares some helpful information for finding a provider to schedule an appointment. At this time, WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital is listed as our local provider but other local pharmacies are also distributing the vaccine. Students who seek to schedule their first vaccine locally should be mindful in allowing sufficient time to complete the vaccine series prior to their departure from campus for the semester. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines require two doses, spaced apart by 28 days for Moderna and 21 days for Pfizer, that will be administered at the same location as your first vaccine. More information about the vaccine types can be found on the Centers for Disease Control website.
Getting your vaccine is the best way to keep you, your family, your friends, and the Gettysburg campus and broader community safe. It will also enable us to open up our campus to the fullest extent for our students, faculty, and staff, as quickly as possible. As a reminder, however, since the very large majority of our campus community has not been vaccinated, community members who have been vaccinated should continue to follow the College’s health and safety protocols including wearing a mask, staying physically distanced, and continuing to participate in the College’s testing protocols. We will notify the community if there is any change in this status.
While we are all excited about the prospect of what COVID-19 vaccine availability will mean for our College community in the long-term, it is important to remember that the virus and its variants remain a significant threat at this time, particularly within college and university settings. We’re sure you’ve seen recent news of the increase in cases nationwide and how some higher education institutions, including here in the Commonwealth, have been forced to resort to all-campus quarantines.
In short, we must continue to remain vigilant and keep our guard up this spring if we are to continue to combat community spread. We are all closing in on a more traditional learning and working environment, and we must each do our part to keep one another well and remain focused on our shared goal of a safe and successful semester together.
Thank you so much for all you’ve done, and continue to do, to keep our community healthy and safe. We encourage you to get your vaccine as soon as you are eligible.
Jen Lucas
SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Executive Director of Human Resources
Jeff Foster, D.Ed.
Interim Vice President for College Life and Dean of Students