All DePaul employees are projected to be included in the next phase of the vaccine rollout, according to a Newsline article sent to the university community this morning. This includes student employees whose work requires them to be on campus and at more risk of contracting the virus. 

“This week, CDPH indicated to DePaul that faculty and staff members who work in higher education are currently projected to be included in phase 1c – the next phase in the city’s vaccination distribution schedule,” the statement reads. “All DePaul employees would be considered part of this group.”

As of now, the university has not released any plan for student vaccinations, and in a recent visit to DePaul, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said that college students with no pre-existing health conditions would be “further back in line” for their shots. 

The next phase of the vaccine rollout is tentatively scheduled to begin March 29, just as DePaul’s spring quarter gets underway. 

On Jan. 22 DePaul’s administration announced that a majority of spring quarter classes would remain remote due to the pandemic. In a statement a few weeks later President A. Gabriel Esteban noted that the university hopes for a “full complement of in-person classes” in the fall after a “phased return to campus” in the summer. 

Some DePaul employees currently qualify for Covid-19 vaccinations under Chicago’s current phase, 1b and the university has provided them with information about how to get their shots, according to Newsline.