Ohio State Wexner Medical Center to provide a quarter of vaccines to students, faculty, staff

Max Garrison, Sarah Szilagy, Owen Milnes
Fri, 02 Apr 2021 01:13:00 +0000
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Starting April 14, Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center will designate a quarter of its COVID-19 vaccine doses to students, faculty and staff.

From April 14-20, with scheduling opening April 9, Ohio State students can get vaccinated at the university’s student-specific vaccine clinic at the Schottenstein Center, University President Kristina M. Johnson said in a universitywide email Thursday. Credit: Owen Milnes | Campus Producer

Ohio State students will no longer have to join waiting lists with other Central Ohioans in order to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment — starting April 14, the Wexner Medical Center will designate a quarter of its doses to students, faculty and staff.

From April 14-20, with scheduling opening April 9, Ohio State students can get vaccinated at the university’s student-specific vaccine clinic at the Schottenstein Center, University President Kristina M. Johnson said in a universitywide email Thursday. A quarter of the medical center’s weekly first-dose vaccine supply will be allocated to students, faculty and staff.

“Vaccinating as many people as possible is a critical step in keeping our community and our surrounding communities safe from the virus,” Johnson said.

Johnson said the university estimates more than 30 percent of the university community has either received or scheduled to receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Gov. Mike DeWine announced in a press conference Thursday Ohio will deploy the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine to clinics on college campuses starting next week. DeWine said despite young people having a lower rate of falling ill with COVID-19, evidence shows they are “significant carriers” due to increased interactions associated with college life.

“That age group interacts more — more socialization, more movement, more contacts,” DeWine said. “It is a strategic move, frankly, to vaccinate them on campus before they get out in early May for the summer and scatter throughout the state and throughout the country.”

Johnson said all student appointments through Sunday have been filled, and more will be added for the week of April 5.

The university will release additional appointments each week after receiving information about the number of doses and brand of vaccines available, Johnson said.