More than a thousand University of Hawaiʻi faculty and staff attended an online forum titled, “Vax Facts UH: Science, Safety & Society,” held on January 20. The forum provided an update on Hawaiʻi’s COVID-19 vaccine efforts and what it means for the UH community.
The event featured various experts from UH Mānoa and Lt. Gov. Josh Green. They answered more than 100 questions on topics that included UH’s vaccine prioritization status; vaccine development, efficacy and safety; and ethics and social issues surrounding the distribution. Panelists also discussed how best to provide accurate information to students and employees.
Lee Buenconsejo-Lum, John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) Associate Dean, and liaison to the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency’s COVID-19 pandemic response, was one of the panelists. As one of the UH leads working with the Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) on vaccination plans, she addressed questions related to vaccine availability to the UH community. She emphasized two factors: How many vaccine doses the state receives every week and the complex logistics of getting shots into arms safely.
“We are working with the DOH to determine what opportunities make the most sense to deliver vaccines to the UH population. Vaccination options will also likely vary by county,” she said. “We are moving forward together, as a state, and as the university and others really work hard to address this pandemic.”
Buenconsejo-Lum said about 7,000 members of the UH community who wished to be vaccinated have already completed the online COVID-19 vaccine interest and prioritization questionnaire so far.
She added, “We all have common goals and purposes to distribute the vaccine equitably and as quickly as possible, but must keep in mind that there is not enough vaccine to distribute to the entire population at this time. The vaccine supply will be getting better, but we just need to keep that in mind for now.”
Following CDC guidance and State DOH planning efforts, post-secondary education is recognized as part of Phase 1B. However, 1B is estimated to include approximately 230,000 Hawaiʻi residents so UH is working to establish priorities based on current job duties, emphasizing those who must work on campus in person, with frequent and close contact with others, and who may have a higher risk of exposure.
“The voluntary survey will also be used to identify others who may have additional risk factors that we cannot easily determine through job duties or university records,” she said. She thanked everyone for their patience as the state continues to refine processes to offer the COVID-19 vaccine to those in the higher priority groups.
The other panelists were:
Sandra Chang, JABSOM professor, a specialist in immunology, microbiology and vaccine development, who serves as co-chair of the Hawaiʻi DOH Vaccine Medical Advisory Working Group.
Neal Palafox, JABSOM professor, who serves on four Hawaiʻi COVID-19 response teams. He is a specialist in health policy and reducing health disparities, with a focus on Pacific Islanders.
Soo Yun Shin, communicology professor, a specialist in communication technologies and strategies for correcting misinformation.
Josh Green, Lt. Governor and emergency room physician
Hear more from the panelists on the following topics:
- Welcome and introductions (video)
- Vaccine Prioritization/UH process (Buenconsejo-Lum) (video)
- Vaccine basics/safety/efficacy (Chang) (video)
- Strategies for communication/addressing misinformation about the vaccine (Shin) (video)
- Vaccine Equity (Palafox) (video)
- Policy Implications (Green): (video)
Sponsors of this conversation include: UH Better Tomorrow Speaker Series, College of Social Sciences, UH Mānoa Faculty Senate, Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, John A. Burns School of Medicine, Kamehameha Schools, Office of the Provost, Office of Public Health Studies and the William S. Richardson School of Law.
Learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine on the state’s COVID-19 vaccine website. The latest information for the UH community will be available on the UH COVID-19 vaccination website.
This event is an example of UH Mānoa’s goal of Excellence in Research: Advancing the Research and Creative Work Enterprise (PDF), one of four goals identified in the 2015–25 Strategic Plan (PDF), updated in December 2020.
