Southern Utah University held its second COVID-19 vaccination clinic on Tuesday, Nov. 9th, in the Cedar Breaks Convention Center of the Sharwan Smith Student Center. The third and final clinic of the fall semester will be on Dec. 7 from 8:30-11:30 a.m.
SUU strongly recommends and encourages students and faculty to go and get vaccinated as it significantly reduces the spread of COVID. The goal is to keep campus open and keep the campus safe by following public health guidelines including getting vaccinated, wearing masks, getting tested and social distancing when possible.
All people in Utah ages five and older can receive the vaccination. Individuals ages five to 17 are only eligible to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine due to the requirements made by the state of Utah. People older than 17 can take any of the three current vaccines: Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson.
The booster dose is also now available. Currently, the booster shot is being recommended for people at the highest risk in the state of Utah.
For people who got the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least six months ago, in March 2021, people over 65 in age, individuals who live in long-term care, people over 18 with underlying medical conditions and people who work in settings that put them at higher risk can receive the booster dose. This includes health care workers and teachers.
For people who took the J&J vaccine, anyone over the age of 18 who took their second dose over two months ago should get the booster shot. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it’s feasible and safe to mix-and-match COVID vaccines to increase protections and allow greater flexibility. This means people can receive a different booster dose than their initial vaccine.
SUU’s vaccination clinics have been instrumental in providing students with protection from COVID-19, and Iron County’s covid transmission rate is currently designated as high right now, so the final clinic will be a good opportunity for students to protect themselves from the virus.
More information involving COVID-19 on campus can be found here.
Article by Reese Whitaker
Photo by McKayla Olsen
news@suunews.net
