Emily VanGorder – Staff Writer

The office of Health Services at the University of Wisconsin- Madison and other UW universites has put out a plan to vaccinate all students, faculty, and staff by May 1. Beginning on March 22, Health Services will offer vaccinations to a select group of students, including those who provide patient care, have direct contact with COVID specimens, work in childcare or janitorial services, or have an eligible medical condition. he Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will all be provided. However, vaccine supplies still remain limited, and UW-Madison recommends that anyone able to receive a vaccination through another healthcare provider do so.
The University of Iowa has also begun to vaccinate students. The university created a Vaccine Distribution Workgroup that is working with their local public health department to provide an effective plan for vaccinations. All three versions of the vaccine are available. Students in health science programs and those providing patient care are the first group currently receiving vaccinations.
COVID-19 vaccines are not currently being provided to students on campus at Gustavus. Director of Health Services Heather Dale sent out an email on March 22 notifying students about vaccine registration and locations where vaccines are currently available, including certain pharmacies and medical clinics. Once vaccines become available, the Health Services office has registered to deliver COVID-19 vaccines on campus. Minnesota plans to have the vaccine available for all persons over the age of 16 by May 1.