With the return to campus fast approaching, we want to keep you informed on our planning for September. As it is laid out in the Return to Campus Plan, we are requiring masks and encouraging a variety of safety measures, and none more important than vaccination. It is expected of you, as a member of the NSCAD community, to be fully vaccinated with two doses by the time you return to campus.
Why are two doses important?
Though one dose provides some protection, having two doses increases your protection against developing serious illness. It helps boost your immunity to higher rates, which is important when dealing with COVID-19 and its variants.
Where can I get the COVID vaccine?
Be it your first dose or your second, Halifax and Dartmouth both offer drop-in vaccine clinics.
Dartmouth General Drive-Thru Community Vaccine Clinic (Pfizer 12+)
7 Mount Hope Avenue (behind Dartmouth General Hospital)
Open daily from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. (get there soon, this clinic will no longer be available by end-of-day on August 21, 2021)
DIRECTIONS
IWK COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic (Pfizer 12+)
5980 University Ave, Halifax
Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (get there soon, this clinic will no longer be available by end-of-day on August 27, 2021)
DIRECTIONS
To encourage vaccine uptake within our community, we are working with the Nova Scotia Health Authority to host an on campus walk-in vaccine clinic in early September. More information to follow.
Will vaccines become mandatory at NSCAD University?
We are consulting with different stakeholder groups, considering the most current data available and the best public health advice, when planning our course of action. At this time, vaccines are not mandatory at NSCAD but they are expected. However, if the second dose rates do not meet the provincial targets and continue to slow down, we are prepared to act. This may mean that vaccines could be made mandatory, and those who are unvaccinated would be subject to additional health and safety regulations, including regular testing.
Help us get the word out!
Have you already been vaccinated, and are willing to share your experience with the NSCAD community to encourage others to do the same? If yes, please email communications@nscad.ca, and we will follow up with you!
To fight this pandemic and keep each other safe, we must work together using all the tools at our disposal. Vaccines provide an added layer of protection for you, but also for your family, friends, professors and fellow students. Please refer to our FAQs for more information. If you have additional questions, please email communications@nscad.ca.
Sincerely,
SARAH M. MCKINNON, PhD
Interim President