Jones College recently offered the COVID-19 vaccine to its students and faculty. Over 70 students have already been fully vaccinated and an overall count of 250 people have already been booked and administered through Jones’ health partners, Wellness Works.
“I have already had my first and second vaccine with no issues at all,” said Beth McDaniel, who is involved with the student vaccine campaign and is the COVID-19 Task Force co-director for the college.
“I would encourage those that can to take the vaccine in an effort to help our campus and our community return to a new normal and to do your part to help other people stay healthy,” said McDaniel.
Jones initially started assisting faculty and staff with booking appointments through the state website but found that many employees didn’t have time or access to the site when the appointments were available, so a link was set up to help them.
“Essentially, we booked them based on availability, and we were able to assist all the employees that requested help, with most of them being booked within 24 hours of their request,” said Bruce Smith, who is also involved with the student vaccine campaign and is a member of the COVID-19 Task Force.
“Our students were a different animal entirely. We sent information requesting interest first to see if we could actually warrant the need for on-campus administration of the vaccine. We received a fairly good response, but I wish the numbers were higher,” said Smith.
Many students and faculty have been able to obtain appointments and vaccinations on their own, so the total number of immunized people on campus is much higher than 250.
“From the outset of the pandemic, public health and stopping the spread have been the focus of our campus,” said Smith. “I believe that the best way to protect our faculty, students and our community is to offer them the vaccine. We are all weary and tired of not being connected to each other, and we long for that sense of community to return safely. We are hopeful that the summer months will continue to see both a decline in COVID-19 cases and a rise in vaccinations. I look at the fall as back to normal, but that depends on all of us.”
Jones is continuing to encourage all faculty, staff and students that are eligible for the vaccine to book an appointment.
by Tori Ellis
