On campus vaccination clinic to reopen with Pfizer vaccine

In an email sent to students the evening of Monday, April 19, the university announced that the CSU Student Covid-19 Vaccination Center will reopen Wednesday, April 21, this time using the Pfizer vaccine. The vaccination center- which was recently closed following a joint recommendation from the CDC and FDA on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine- would have provided 10,000 single dose shots.

Screenshot of the email sent to students. Screenshot: Megan Keleman

The Pfizer vaccine requires two doses, which are administered three weeks apart. Because of this, the university urged students to get their first dose “as soon as possible” in order to receive their second dose before May 14- the last day that the vaccination center will be open. 

Pfizer will replace the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which was paused nationwide following six vaccine recipients in the U.S. developing “a rare and severe type of blood clot,” according to the joint CDC and FDA statement. 

These six cases occurred after 6.8 million doses of the vaccine had been administered, making the side effect “extremely rare.” The university opted to act out of an “abundance of caution,” according to their first email statement on April 13. 

The vaccine center is in the MAC Gym on the first floor of the Rec Center, and is open until May 14, Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Free parking is available in the East Garage, which is connected to the Rec Center via InnerLink. 

Students who had previously made an appointment after April 21 can still get their shot at their scheduled time. CSU will also assist students in making appointments at community clinics for the second dose, if the student only clinic will be closed by then.

The email concluded with a call for students to get vaccinated, saying “Protect yourself, your family and your friends and help our Cleveland community smash the virus so we can get back on track for fall semester and return to the things we love to do! The vaccine is safe, easy to get, and is required for CSU students living on campus in Fall 2021.”
To register, students can head to the Ohio Department of Health Website, and enter the access code provided in the email. Students with questions about the vaccination center can email safecampusstudents@csuohio.edu.