Members of the National Guard assist during the clinic. Caylee Caldwell // AS Review
By Caylee Caldwell
On May 7, Western hosted a Viking Vax Day COVID Vaccine Clinic to provide the Johnson and Johnson vaccine for all students, employees, eligible family members and the general public. Western hosted a second clinic on May 18, offering the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, and offered the second dose on June 8.
Western hosted this clinic at the Viking Union on campus in partnership with the Washington State Department of Health and National Guard Vaccine Team 7. Vaccines were distributed using appointments to control the amount of people at the clinic at one time and the on-site team conducted symptom attestations along with health screenings before each appointment. All patients were asked to keep the required 6 foot distance from each other and to follow mask guidelines at all times while in the clinic.
Western set up the Viking Vax Day clinics to provide the Western community with as many opportunities to get the COVID vaccine as possible, especially with the new requirement that students be vaccinated before coming to school next year.
“Achieving the highest possible levels of community immunity depends on maintaining the highest possible rate of vaccinated individuals within our Western Community,” Adam Lorio, special program manager, said. “Anything we can do to reduce barriers to getting vaccines and encourage everyone who is able to get a vaccine is important for our return to in person operations.”
According to data from local vaccination clinics, the demand for vaccines, especially for the second dose, has been decreasing. Lorio believes that this is why it becomes more and more important to give easy access to vaccines for those that have not been vaccinated yet.
Along with an announcement that Bellingham hopes to fully reopen by June 30, and despite the demand for vaccinations decreasing, on May 5, Western’s President Sabah Randhawa sent out an email to all Western students and employees detailing the requirement for vaccination next school year.
The email stated, “After careful consideration and assessing the direction taken by several public and private universities both within Washington state and nationally, Western will require COVID vaccinations for students, faculty, and staff before returning to campus for the fall 2021 quarter.”
The email also said Western recognizes that not everyone can receive the vaccine at this time or in the future. The Viking Vax Day clinics were created in the hopes of eliminating this difficulty as much as possible. These clinics offer opportunities for those without easy access to transportation and can help Western reach a wide range of people all at once.
“Between 3 weeks of Moderna first dose clinics at the Student Health Center, Viking Vax Day #1 (Johnson & Johnson) and Viking Vax Day #2 (Pfizer) we will have offered 1,100 vaccine appointments on campus that will contribute to our community getting vaccines before summer break and returning to campus for Fall term,” Lorio said in an email.
Western sent out a Winter 2021 survey earlier this year and over 86% of students and 91% of employees who responded conveyed an intent to get vaccinated.
Lorio urges as many Western community members as possible to get vaccinated to help protect everyone, including those that cannot get vaccinated.
With the new requirement and the Viking Vax Day clinics, there has been a generally positive response from on-campus students, with some exception.
Sophia Cox, an on-campus student, feels very positive about the mandate, believing it is the best way to resume normal in-person classes while maintaining a safe environment. Cox has noticed a few classmates who disagree with the mandate, claiming that the school should not be able to require them to get a vaccine if they don’t want one.
Despite some less positive comments, Cox is ready to experience a typical college year.
“As a current freshman, I have not attended a single in-person college class, nor an in-person college event,” Cox said in an email. “My friends and family always tell me to appreciate the “college experience” so I believe this requirement will let me have an idea of what that stereotypical experience is.
Off-campus student Kate Lincoln also feels positively about the requirement. Both students have been negatively affected by the pandemic this year in different ways. Cox, while on campus, has had difficulties in school that she had not experienced before.
“After almost a full year of Zoom classes I have found it very difficult to find motivation. I often submit all my assignments right before they are due, late, or don’t do them at all. My grades are slowly dropping and I no longer enjoy my classes or the material we are covering,” Cox said.
Lincoln experienced her own difficulties in having to stay home this school year instead of being on campus as she had hoped, making it hard to have that typical first-year experience.
“I’m excited to be able to raise my hand in all my classes and ask clarifying questions in the moment rather than after in an email,” Lincoln said.
As Western continues to provide vaccination clinics until the school year ends, President Randhawa and the committee board are hopeful for a careful return to normal college life for all students.
Lincoln and Cox, along with many other students on-campus and off-campus, are excited to return to a more familiar idea of normalcy in order to experience the college experience they had hoped for.“I think the general idea of making Vaccines as readily available as possible is a good one,” Lincoln said in an email. “The more easily accessible vaccines are to students and to the public, the more people will get one.”