Dear Members of the Bentley Community,
Next week, everyone over the age of 16 will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Massachusetts and across the country. Vaccines represent a major opportunity in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and have proven to be effective in reducing the risk of contracting the virus or becoming seriously ill.
Vaccinations
Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to visit mass.gov/covid-19-vaccine for information on pre-registration and vaccine locations across the state. Supply remains in high demand and appointments will continue to require tenacity to book. Private organizations are unable to purchase a supply of vaccines, and all allocation continues to be managed by the federal government. Some helpful areas to search for appointments outside of the state-run vaccination portal include CVS and Walgreens pharmacies, which receive shipments of the vaccine outside of the state allocation.
While the J&J/Janssen vaccine is currently paused for review surrounding blood clotting concerns, it’s important to note that the risk of having an adverse reaction to a vaccination is incredibly rare, and far less likely than contracting COVID-19 and becoming seriously ill. Anyone with concerns about the J&J/Janssen vaccine should visit the FDA’s resource page or speak with their healthcare provider.
Fully vaccinated students are not required to quarantine if identified as a close contact (and have no symptoms), but only if vaccination documentation is on file in the Bentley Health Portal.
We will continue to share updates on the vaccine rollout and post important updates here. If you are fully vaccinated and on campus, you still must follow all health and safety protocols including always wearing face coverings and undergoing regular testing in the screening test program.|
Commencement
While we should always be smart with our social interactions, it is exceptionally important that members of the Class of 2021 and anyone attending Commencement be smart in the coming weeks to avoid any gatherings that would put them at risk of contracting COVID-19 or becoming a close contact. In line with Fenway Park’s guidelines, anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 or is a close contact of someone who has on or after April 16 will be unable to attend the event.
COVID-19 Dashboard
Since January 1, 353 positive cases have been reported on the dashboard. With 56,102 total tests administered, that leaves us at a 0.64% positivity rate.
Geoffrey C. Bartlett, CEM
Director of Emergency Management
Newsroom
