Q. I’ve heard that we may no longer be required to test if we provide proof of vaccination, is that accurate?
A. At this time, individuals who are fully vaccinated will still be required to test every two weeks. However, we strongly encourage the entire campus community to become vaccinated, as our summer and fall testing plans are still under development and likely will include an exemption process for fully vaccinated individuals. Additional vaccine resources are available online.

Q. Is there a mass vaccination clinic located near Menomonie?
A. Local, state and national health entities are coming together to host a mass community COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Zorn Arena on the UW-Eau Claire campus. The vaccine clinic will provide up to 7,000 vaccine doses over the next two weeks, with a maximum daily capacity of 1,400 people. Anyone over the age of 16 and who lives, works, or studies in Wisconsin is eligible to receive the vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine will be available at this clinic. For information on how to make an appointment, visit the Eau Claire County COVID-19 Information Hub or vaccinate.wi.gov.

Q. Should I be concerned about the COVID –19 variants that I have heard about?
A. Viruses and bacteria undergo mutations in their genetic makeup all the time; so, it is not surprising that there are COVID mutations. However, the more COVID cases, the more likely there will be virus mutations. As of April 7, per CDC, the UK Variant (B117) is the most common strain of COVID-19 circulating in the U.S. This variant seems to spread more easily and quickly and seems to be infecting children, which didn’t occur with the previous strains of the virus. The good news is that the antibodies generated through the approved vaccines recognize these variants and appear to have a level of effectiveness against them.

It is still very important to comply with public health mitigation strategies, such as vaccination, physical distancing, use of masks, hand hygiene, and isolation and quarantine to limit the spread of the virus and COVID mutations.

Additional information is available at www.cdc.gov.

Sponsored by: Campus Recovery Team
For more information: covid19update@uwstout.edu or Website