An Update on Vaccinations for the UMass Amherst Community

With COVID-19 vaccine eligibility in Massachusetts expanding to the general public ages 16 years and older on Monday, April 19, the Public Health Promotion Center (PHPC) at UMass Amherst shared information this week about options to get vaccinated and the university’s role in this process.  

Jeffrey Hescock and Ann Becker, co-directors of the PHPC, said, “We strongly urge all UMass community members to be vaccinated as soon as possible. Vaccination is the most effective way to ultimately stop the spread of the virus and is a key component in our eventual return to normal campus life. For the fall 2021 semester, we expect that every member of our campus community, with only limited exceptions, to be vaccinated, greatly reducing the risk of infection for all. We will await final federal and state legal guidance on actual vaccination requirements.”

The UMass Amherst Public Vaccine Clinic is among the options that students, faculty and staff can choose from when scheduling an appointment. The clinic is operated in collaboration with Massachusetts Department of Public Health and was established at the direction of the state to serve all eligible members of the public. At this time, in keeping with state directives, the UMass public vaccine clinic is not authorized to prioritize members of the UMass community for vaccination.

 There are a variety of ways to find a vaccine appointment:

• Schedule an appointment at the UMass Amherst Public Vaccine Clinic. Typically, appointments for the following week are posted at 4 p.m. on Fridays. Due to high demand and constrained vaccine supplies, appointments are limited.
• Preregister at VaccineSignUp.mass.gov to be notified when it's your turn to schedule an appointment at one of seven mass vaccination locations: Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Reggie Lewis Center in Boston, DoubleTree Hotel in Danvers, Eastfield Mall in Springfield, Natick Mall and the former Circuit City in Dartmouth.
• Use VaxFinder.mass.gov to search for appointments at pharmacies, healthcare providers and other community locations.