Vaccine vials
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — Penn State Lehigh Valley (PSU-LV) has released vaccination rates for students and employees at the campus.
Currently, 89% of full-time employees indicated they are fully vaccinated, including 100% of administrators, 88% of academic personnel (instructors, researchers and faculty) and 91% of nonunion staff.
Because PSU-LV is a commuter campus with no residential students, student vaccination upload numbers may be lower compared to other campuses with residential students. To date, 53.6% of campus students have uploaded their proof of vaccination. With more students continuing to upload their proof of vaccination each day, the actual vaccination rates on campus may be higher.
“We are very happy to see that such a large percentage of our faculty and staff were proactively vaccinated and shared their status,” said PSU-LV Chancellor Tina Q. Richardson. “Since the start of the semester, we’re seeing more students provide their proof of vaccination. We appreciate their efforts and will continue to support all of our students in the vaccination process. It’s up to all of us to promote the health and safety of the entire Penn State Lehigh Valley campus community.”
Student vaccination rates are higher at the campus than they are for all of Lehigh County among residents ages 20-24 (49%) and 25-29 (47%).
PSU-LV has taken steps to support the health and safety of the campus population, including promoting vaccines on social media and digital signage, and through its upcoming on-campus vaccine clinics, which will take place Monday, Sept. 20, and Monday, Oct. 11, with first and second doses available both days. Both clinics will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. in room 135 and are open to all students, faculty and staff, as well as their family members. There is no charge, and students will receive a $5 gift certificate for the dining hall after each vaccine. Attendees will be able to make their appointment ahead of time, but walk-ins are also welcome.
Vaccination data for all Penn State campuses will be available on the COVID-19 dashboard later this month. Penn State’s 20 Commonwealth Campuses across Pennsylvania vary in size and demographics, with some campuses offering residential experiences while others providing for commuter students.
Penn State previously announced that unvaccinated students and employees will be required to submit to weekly testing for COVID-19 throughout the fall semester. PSU-LV students can upload their vaccination records through myUHS, while campus employees can upload their vaccination records through Salesforce Health Cloud.
Voluntary and symptomatic testing is available at the campus. Student tests are being distributed or can be ordered through the mail via the Vault Health mail-in test kit.
PSU-LV students who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should seek symptomatic testing via the campus or a local provider. Employees who are experiencing symptoms are advised to schedule an appointment with their health care provider.
The University strongly encourages all individuals to receive a COVID-19 vaccination as soon as they are able, if they have not done so already. Throughout the fall semester, vaccines will be made available on or near all Penn State campuses. The CDC’s vaccines.gov website provides a list of nearby providers, including hospitals, doctor’s offices, pharmacies, department stores and grocery stores.
For the latest information about Penn State’s response to COVID-19, visit virusinfo.psu.edu.
