As of early March in the United States, nearly 100 million COVID-19 vaccines have been distributed and more than three quarters of these doses have been administered. Across the country, institutions of higher education are doing their part to develop efficient and equitable protocols for vaccine distribution and to ensure that the most vulnerable residents receive shots. Vaccine distribution is essential to begin recovering from the devastation the COVID-19 pandemic has caused around the globe.
Higher education institutions are using their physical and human resources to take several important steps related to vaccine distribution. These include: developing partnerships with local and federal partners, creating opportunities for their own students to assist with logistics, and continuing to research and provide outreach to local communities. These steps seek to not only ensure that we are getting shots in arms as quickly as possible, but they will create tangible professional experiences for students, ease some concerns regarding lack of trust of the vaccine, and most importantly prevent illnesses and deaths of this disease that has impacted nearly everyone in one way or another.
We are proud to share examples from across the CUMU membership of newly developed partnerships, outreach strategies, and strategies to get residents vaccinated. We will update this story with more examples as they develop.
If you have a news item you find valuable and want CUMU to share, email them to news@cumuonline.org.
Distribution/logistics (shots in arms)
- Case Western Reserve University partners with City of Cleveland to distribute COVID-19 vaccines
- California State University San Marcos Partners with San Diego County to run COVID-19 Vaccination Site
- Cal State LA opens vaccination site in partnership with FEMA and the State of California
- Medgar Evers College serves as mass vaccination site for vulnerable communities
- California State University System established vaccination sites across the state
- Worcester State University opens mass vaccination site
Community outreach and public health
- Xavier University of Louisiana President speaks at town hall to discuss Black Americans and the COVID-19 vaccine
- Johns Hopkins University develops ‘myth vs. fact’ resource regarding vaccines
- Johns Hopkins University hosts community forum: everything you should know about COVID-19 vaccines
- Oakland University hosts panel to discuss vaccination campaign
- Morgan State University and Johns Hopkins University partner with Baltimore City to address vaccine hesitancy
- University of Houston addresses concerns among marginalized communities disproportionately impacted by pandemic in partnership with NIH
Research in developing vaccines/effectiveness/side effects, etc
- Brown University tracks adverse impacts in nursing home residents with federal grant funding
- Tulane University to lead national research partnership to speed up COVID-19 vaccines and drug discoveries
- University of Denver scientists featured on CBS News about their antibody test
- University of Louisville tapped for Lilly monoclonal antibody trial in long-term care facilities
- University of Utah researches vaccine impacts for pregnant and breastfeeding people.
Partnerships with students and the broader community
- University of Louisville students and faculty helping with vaccination efforts
- Virginia Commonwealth University-hundreds of students volunteer at vaccination events
- University of Nevada Las Vegas nursing students gain clinical experience administering COVID-19 Vaccines
- University of North Carolina Wilmington students administer vaccine at movie theater clinic
- Baylor University students volunteer at convention center vaccination clinic
- University of Central Florida students step up to support community vaccination sites
- University of Texas Rio Grande Valley expands vaccine services to Brownsville, TX
Featured photo: Aerial view of the drive-thru appointment site of the community vaccination center at Cal State LA as vehicles begin to pull up. (Credit: J. Emilio Flores/Cal State LA)