Second Grand Prize Drawing This Week for UW Students Whove Reported Vaccination

A second University of Wyoming student who has reported being vaccinated for COVID-19 will win up to $4,500 in tuition and fees for the fall semester in a drawing this week.

Students who haven’t yet reported their vaccinations to the UW Student Health Service patient portal are encouraged to do so by the end of today (Tuesday) so they’ll be included in the prize drawing. The winning name will be drawn from the total pool of students who’ve submitted proof of complete vaccination to the patient portal. Students who’ve already reported to the portal are discouraged from doing so again, as it creates more work for the Student Health Service staff and doesn’t increase the chances of winning a prize.

During the first week of the fall semester, a political science major from Virginia -- who opted to not be publicly identified -- won the first grand prize of up to $4,500 in tuition fees in UW’s student vaccination reporting incentive program.

Meanwhile, a junior from Buffalo is the latest winner of the weekly drawing for UW students who’ve reported being vaccinated. The computer science major, who also opted to not be publicly identified, won a Dining Dollars card from UW Dining Services valued at $100.

“I decided to get vaccinated because it’s easy to get and effective in fighting the spread of COVID-19,” the student says. “The reporting process was incredibly easy -- I believe it took me 2 or 3 minutes in total. I recommend vaccination and reporting because it's simple, effective and helps protect both you and others against the spread of COVID-19.”

And, in a separate drawing for UW employees who’ve reported their vaccinations to the HCM, Larry Farnham won two tickets to an upcoming UW Department of Theatre and Dance performance. He says his health care provider recommended that he be vaccinated, and he did so “to put an end to this pandemic.”

While vaccinations are not required for UW students and employees -- instead, they’re strongly encouraged -- students and employees should report their vaccinations once they’ve received them. This allows the university to track overall vaccination numbers. The information is not being used for any other purpose, except to enter those who’ve reported their vaccinations into the drawings for prizes. The university’s privacy protocols are being followed.

To upload documentation to the Student Health Service patient portal, take a photo of your vaccination document and upload the picture here: http://patientportal.uwyo.edu, using your regular UW user ID and password. This is the same portal where students report their mandatory vaccination for measles, mumps and rubella. Alternatively, students can report their vaccinations by emailing photos of their vaccination documents to Student Health at studenthealth@uwyo.edu.

For employees, a quick reference guide has been created to help report vaccinations within UW’s HCM.

As of Monday, 4,347 of UW’s total 9,026 on-campus students, 40.5 percent, had reported receiving at least one dose of the vaccine to Student Health. And, 3,485 of UW’s total 6,454 employees, 54 percent, had reported receiving at least one dose to the HCM.

Also as of Monday, there were 24 active cases of COVID-19 among the UW community -- 11 students off campus, six students on campus and seven employees. Sample prevalence in UW’s testing program in the past week was 2.53 percent.

Vaccines are widely available for free in the community, including the Pfizer vaccine, which has received full approval from the Food and Drug Administration for those 16 and older. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines also have been proven to be highly effective and safe.

UW students and employees can receive COVID-19 vaccines at several locations in Laramie. They include: Walmart, Walgreens, Pole Mountain Pharmacy, Ridley’s, Stitches Acute Care, Laramie Pediatrics, Albany Community Health Clinic, Ivinson Medical Group, the Downtown Clinic and Family Physicians of Laramie.

Students who are unable to be vaccinated due to medical or religious reasons may participate in the drawings by completing a vaccination exemption form found on the Student Health Service website.