More Frequent Reporting, New Vaccination Numbers

Community members,

Based on ongoing campus conversations, including productive discussions with our three representative groups — the Student Government Association, the Staff Senate and the University Senate — we are beginning the process today of updating our COVID-19 dashboard twice a week.

Additionally, we are now able to provide UK HealthCare’s numbers related to their community members’ vaccination rates. We are sharing those numbers in parallel and in a consistent manner with the other community rates we’ve been displaying for a few weeks.

Our progress as a community and family — working together, for and with each other — is undeniable:

• We are reporting an 86 percent fully vaccinated (or in the process of becoming vaccinated) rate for our community overall. That’s 86 percent of our entire campus, including UK HealthCare. 

• UK HealthCare, which had its first vaccination deadline last week, is reporting a 90 percent rate using the same rules and exclusions, related to remote work and individuals coming to the Lexington campus, as non-UKHC units. 

• The corresponding UK campus vaccination rate — calculated as a subset of our community separate and distinct from UK HealthCare — is 85 percent. 

• The student rate among our community members is 83 percent. 

• For faculty members, it is 93 percent. 

• And for our staff, it is 89 percent.

A few more details about where we are in our efforts: 

• On our COVID-19 dashboard, we provide more detail about how these calculations are made and the continued complexity our team manages each day to ensure accuracy in what we report. You can read more about that process here.
• The student, faculty and staff vaccination rates reflect numbers from our entire UK population: UK HealthCare and non-UK HealthCare.  

• We distributed emails yesterday to ALL campus employees and students who are not fully vaccinated and who are therefore required to test on a weekly basis. These messages reminded them of their responsibilities and the compliance measures we will enact. (Employees and students in UK HealthCare’s vaccination and testing protocols are subject to a different process and communication schedule.)
• Later today, students will receive individualized messages about where they stand in terms of compliance, as some students have been required to test for several weeks, including an entry test at the beginning of the academic year. Different sanctions are being implemented depending upon the level of noncompliance. 

• Campus employees who are not in compliance with testing protocols will receive their first official notification next week through a letter copied to their supervisor. 

• You can read more about the testing protocols here. 

• You can read more about the student vaccination incentive program here. 

• You can read more about the employee vaccination incentive program, which is open to all UK employees, here.

Our efforts are yielding results — a safer community that is leading our Commonwealth.

We are closing in on a 90 percent vaccination rate throughout our campus. Every part of our community has contributed in a significant way to our progress.

As always, there is more work to do and more progress to make.

But there is no question that we are doing the right things to help ensure the health, safety and well-being of our community. The numbers show it. Your commitment to each other and to UK is reinforced for me every day.

Thank you for all you do.

Eli Capilouto

President