The Process Behind High Point University's Vaccine Rollout
As the Nation continues its fight against the covid-19 pandemic, High Point University played its role by administering a vaccine rollout during the early days of April
Q News
It’s been nearly four months since the
initial release of the Covid-19 vaccines. Since they were released in early January
for select groups, people eagerly awaited for their eligibility date to arrive, and wondered how long
it was going to be until their states’ phases changed.
Luckily for High Point University students,
any doubts of being able to get a vaccine were removed. In early April, HPU hosted
two Johnson & Johnson vaccination clinics exclusively for High Point students,
helping the university get a little bit closer to normalcy.
Acquisition and Distribution
When the state of North Carolina
announced its vaccine rollout schedule in late December of 2020, college
students were given a little preference. They were set to be eligible in the third
of four phases as part of the students’ category, right before vaccines would be
made available for the general public.
For HPU, this gave them a chance to vaccinate the students with an on campus clinic while the semester was still ongoing.
In late March, the school received notice from the state that there was an
opportunity to acquire some Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
According to Jessica Buffkin, a clinic
administrator for Novant Health and
manager of HPU’s student health clinic, the university was able to acquire the
vaccine through their partnerships with Novant and the Guilford County
Department of Health.
“The Novant corporate health team
provides coverage for students in quarantine,” said Buffkin. “They also help
with the special events like the vaccine clinic.”
While working with student health, Buffkin
also splits her time working with another clinic operated by Novant Health,
which was originally contacted to host the vaccine clinic on location. This opened up the opportunity for HPU to fill the role.
“With all the special requirements, we weren’t able to set it up ethically within the clinic. So, the corporate health team helped us out and they did this pop up site on campus…”
Student Response
Brad Schmitt, a junior HPU student,
was one of many to get vaccinated through the school, citing it’s convenience as
the main reason he went through the school rather than elsewhere.
“It was just easier,” Brad said. “This
lady brought me right to a desk, I signed in and then someone else brought me
to get the shot. The people were all really nice in there. It was really easy.
I got the shot within ten minutes of being there.”
Despite
the effectiveness and convenience of the vaccine, it still takes a toll on the
body through numerous side effects. For Schmitt, it was important for him to be
prepared for this, as he took some precautions prior to getting the shot.
“I was a little nervous. I did a
lot of research and almost backed out of it… I heard that some people were
getting some symptoms so I drank a ton of water and Gatorade leading up to it
to make sure I was hydrated.
Unfortunately for Schmitt, the liquid
did not help as much as he wanted, as he made it clear that the Johnson & Johnson
vaccine was not your ordinary flu shot.
“My whole day was normal. Then 1 am
came along,” said Schmitt. “I had a headache and was going to do some homework
but felt too tired to do anything. So, I went to sleep. A few hours later I
woke up in cold sweats with a fever. It was a long night of no sleep…
The symptoms Schmitt experienced from the vaccine were not uncommon. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, flu-like symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, body chills, and fever are common side effects of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Why the students?
When the North Carolina vaccine
rollout plan was announced, High Point University students were placed in a
slightly advantageous position. The North Carolina Department of Health and
Human Services announced in late December of 2020 that the vaccine rollout had college
students being eligible for the vaccine in the third phase, right before it
would be made eligible for the general public.
According to the plan, due to college
students being a group who resides in, “close group living settings”, they were
moved up in vaccine eligibility. For Gail Tuttle, HPU’s Senior Vice President of
Student Life, and a member of the university’s health and safety task force,
this was the fulfillment of many student wishes.
“We had been asked by a lot
of parents, and our students have inquired wanting to get the vaccination,”
Tuttle said. “The rollout was going the way it was that I think individuals
really had interest in it… so we offered that opportunity for those who wanted
it.”
There were certainly many
interested students, as Tuttle estimated that out of around 1500 total available
doses spanned out over four days, around 1200 students were
administered shots through the schools' rollout.
Although High Point University was fortunate
to receive their own vaccine doses, they were not the only school to be provided
some courtesy of the state. According to Tuttle, the North Carolina Independent
Colleges & Universities (NCIU),
the representative association for all private institutions in the state, had been in
contact with other North Carolina schools about the possibility of hosting vaccination
clinics.
“They have sponsored various
municipality meetings and asked us, ‘if we get access would you hold a clinic’,”
Tuttle said. “I was a part of other meetings where there were other institutions
both public and private that were hosting their own clinics as well, just like
we were.”
These rollouts further exemplify the central role colleges and universities have had with North Carolina’s vaccine plan. Back in January, around 15 state universities helped store vaccine doses and some even held vaccination clinics for health care workers and those over the age of 65. Some schools who volunteered to host these early clinics for their local communities included Western Carolina University, North Carolina A&T, and UNC-Chapel Hill.
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For more
information on HPU's Johnson & Johnson vaccine rollout, check out this
timeline for an in-depth look into when HPU was able to acquire and distribute the vaccine.
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Looking to the Future
When the pandemic cancelled in-person
classes a little over a year, HPU students immediately started dreaming about a
covid-less future where they could return to normal college life. Now, with vaccine
distributions been going on for 4 months, the end has never seemed closer.
So, with the semester wrapping up, and
nearly HPU and its students turn their attention toward Fall 2021. Many have
wondered how next semester will compare with the schools’ social distancing and
mask requirements for anyone on campus this year; along with what the school
will do in terms of vaccinations in the fall.
According to Gail Tuttle, now that
HPU has concluded their vaccine distributions for the spring semester, there
are no current plans to offer it to students during the fall semester.
“There is a really big push from
our state trying to get people to go to the different vaccination clinics,”
said Tuttle. “And they’re still hosting clinics at the Oak Hallow mall down the
road... If an individual were interested, because the access is no longer as
restricted and because all groups are now eligible, we would refer this
individual to that location [Oak Hallow].
Tuttle says that although she is
optimistic about the outlook for a normal campus for the 2021 fall semester, surveying
the landscape is going to the pivotal during the summer.
“I think it’s all going to depend
on how well our state does with the infection rate, the positives, and the case
count,” Tuttle stated.
Luckily for HPU, the state vaccine
rollout has done well so far at minimizing statistics like those. According to the CDC, there have
been nearly 7 million vaccine doses administered in the state, around 35% of adults
being fully vaccinated, and daily cases dropping steadily since early January.
The state’s vaccine rollout has
worked to the point where, on April 21, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announced
the plan to have all capacity and mass gathering constraints rescinded by June
1.
Although this is good news for the university’s
hopes of having a regular fall semester, Tuttle is planning on maintaining a hopeful,
yet cautious approach until the pandemic is gone for good.
“I think it’s too early to call,” said
Tuttle. “Obviously, for all of us, that’s what our hope would be after doing
this now for 13 months… I’ll always caution anything that I offer to anybody
that it’s too early.”
NC
State Vaccine Clinic Now Open for Students, Staff on Campus
Colleges
and Universities Plan for Normal-ish Campus Life in the Fall
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