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All Caltech Employees Eligible for COVID-19 Vaccine Starting March 1

February 26, 2021
General

To: The Caltech Community
From: Steve Atlee, Vaccine Working Group Chair and Deputy General Counsel
Date: February 26, 2021
Subject: All Caltech Employees Eligible for COVID-19 Vaccine Starting March 1

Los Angeles County confirmed this week that starting on Monday, March 1, it will expand its COVID-19 vaccine eligibility pool to include individuals working in the education and childcare sectors, as well as those in food, agriculture, emergency, and first responder services. The county also has confirmed that the education sector includes all university or college employees, including faculty, staff, postdocs, and researchers. In addition, students who are currently working onsite at a college or university are eligible to receive a vaccination in Los Angeles County. 

We strongly encourage individuals in our community who are eligible under this new tier (or one of the previous tiers, which prioritized healthcare workers and individuals ages 65 or older) to schedule a vaccination appointment through any available vaccination site. While Caltech is still waiting to receive a vaccine allocation to support an Institute-operated clinic, we are unsure of the potential timing for such an operation given current limitations in supply. We will notify the community of any developments in that process.

Vaccinations are free and offered through county, city, and public health sites around Los Angeles, as well as at community clinics and hospitals and through many local pharmacies, including several CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Vons, Pavilions, Albertsons, Costco, and Ralphs locations. To receive a vaccine, individuals must register for an appointment and be prepared to show proof of identification and employment at Caltech. Individuals may register through the county site at vaccinatelacounty.com or directly with one of the sites and/or partners listed on the Los Angeles County Public Health Department's website. 

Proof of Employment
To demonstrate your eligibility under the education worker category, you should plan to bring a picture ID and at least one form of employment verification to your first vaccination appointment. The county has not yet shared its preferred forms for employment verification, and it is possible that requirements across sites may differ. Nevertheless, we expect the following forms will be acceptable:

  • A Caltech ID card that identifies your affiliation as an employee of Caltech.
  • A Caltech paystub. If you receive your paycheck via direct deposit, you will need to print your paystub. Electronic paystubs may be accessed through https://access.caltech.edu/ using the following steps:
    • Log on to access.caltech.edu (credentials required)
    • Under "Self Service," click the "Electronic Paycheck Stub (Online Payslip)" link. NOTE: Caltech's Virtual Private Network (VPN) service is required to access your payslip. If you do not already have the VPN service on your laptop, visit the IMSS VPN webpage and follow the instructions to request VPN activation and download the necessary software.
  • A Caltech W2. If you receive a paper copy of your W2 in the mail each year, your 2020 W2 should have arrived in January. If you download an electronic version, log on to access.caltech.edu and click the link "Electronic W2 (Online W2)." VPN access is not required.

If you do not have access to one of the above forms of documentation and are currently reporting onsite for work or research responsibilities, please contact your supervisor for an employer-issued letter confirming your employment. Graduate students or researchers paid on external fellowships should connect with their advisor and the Graduate Studies Office for an employer-issued letter.

For your second appointment, you will only need to bring your vaccine record card AND a photo ID (driver's license, Caltech ID, etc.).

Guidance for Individuals Who Have Been Vaccinated
Members of the Caltech community who have been vaccinated should maintain their vaccination record in case those records are needed at a later date. The Vaccine Working Group will follow up soon with information on how those who are fully vaccinated may report their vaccination status to the Institute. This will inform the campus vaccine distribution planning process and help ensure efficient and timely allocation of available doses to individuals who are still waiting for a vaccine. 

Caltech urges all members of the Caltech community to register for vaccination at their earliest point of eligibility. Vaccinations are a critical, life-saving tool and—along with continued compliance with the Institute's face covering, physical distancing, and surveillance testing requirements—are central to Caltech's pandemic response effort. They are an essential component in returning Caltech to its full range of activities. Caltech is authorized presently to operate at 25 percent of its traditional campus occupancy level. Regardless of vaccination status, individuals who can continue to work remotely should continue to do so, and individuals reporting to campus should continue to participate in the surveillance testing program and adhere to the Institute's face covering and physical distancing guidelines when working onsite.

Additional information and answers to frequently asked question on vaccines are available on the Caltech Together website.