Maryland is nearing the point that Marylanders above the age 16 will be able to obtain COVID-19 vaccines. On April 27, Phase three of the state’s vaccination plan will open distribution to the general population, according to Governor Larry Hogan.
A good deal of Salisbury University’s community is already qualified to be inoculated. The school has already seen a great deal of success in preventing the spread of COVID-19. With the introduction of expanded rapid testing, positivity rates in the population remain at 1% according to President Charles Wight.
What is the next step in preserving the status quo into the Fall 2021 Semester?
For the time being, SU will not be distributing vaccines according to the COVID-19 Vaccination Information webpage.
I think this should change.
The quicker students, staff and faculty are immunized, the safer our campus community will be. Other universities are already implementing plans in setting up vaccine clinics of their own.
Youngstown State University in Ohio is distributing COVID-19 vaccines to “students, faculty and staff, along with their family members, who are 18 and older, regardless of their state of residency.”
The Moderna vaccines will be provided by the Youngstown City Health District. The two established clinics will be operated by “faculty, student and alumni volunteers from YSU’s Centofanti Schools of Nursing,” according to Mahoning Matters.
This collaboration with between Youngstown City and the university community is one I hope Salisbury University takes into consideration.
The eligibility date (April 27) for the general population is too close to the end of the Spring 2021 Semester for the university to establish a clinic immediately. The odds favor COVID-19 vaccination distribution by SU to begin in the Fall 2021 Semester.
Those in the SU community who were not able to be vaccinated over the summer could benefit from this clinic. Furthermore, the clinic(s) could be used to distribute booster vaccines. These are needed to fight emerging COVID-19 variants, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The fight against this pandemic is not quite finished, but the tide is turning. Distributing vaccines could allow to take the last strides towards the finish line.
By JACOB BEAVER
Editorial editor
Staff photo by Ben Lausch.