COVID Delta Variant and Vaccinations

COVID Delta Variant and Vaccinations

• July 29th, 2021
• in General Messages

Dear members of our UA Community:

We are excited to welcome students back to campus in the coming weeks, while closely monitoring the impact of COVID-19 and the Delta variant. The Delta variant is more infectious and is leading to increased hospitalizations and other negative outcomes – especially among those not vaccinated.

The best way to keep COVID-19 and variants like Delta from affecting your campus experience, and those of your fellow faculty, staff and students, is through widespread vaccination.

Consider these points:

• The COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective in preventing serious illness, hospitalization and symptomatic disease.
• While it’s still possible to contract COVID-19 after being fully vaccinated (especially with the Delta variant), the symptoms are milder, and hospitalization or death is rare.
• Preliminary data from several states indicate 99.5% of US COVID-19 deaths were among the unvaccinated.
• Reports suggest the Delta variant is causing hospitalizations among younger people, especially the unvaccinated.

I am grateful to the many of you who have already chosen to be vaccinated or plan to do so soon. Whether you received your vaccine on campus or from a community provider, you are helping us Protect Our Herd.

Students who report proof of their vaccination status will receive $20 Bama Cash as a thank you gift for doing their part. If you haven’t yet been vaccinated, our University Medical Center and Student Health Center continue to offer vaccinations at no out-of-pocket cost.

Thanks for protecting our herd. Roll Tide!

Richard Friend, MD
Dean, College of Community Health Sciences
Associate Dean
University of Alabama School of Medicine
Tuscaloosa Campus