NDSU hosts first COVID-19 vaccine clinic on campus
About 600 people that are part of the NDSU community got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine
FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — Sanford Health partners with North Dakota State University to offer hundreds of COVID-19 vaccines to students, faculty and staff.
The first-ever COVID-19 vaccine clinic on campus took place Wednesday at the SHAC.
Gloomy skies weren’t overshadowing the excitement and hope filling the air on campus.
“I know students were incredibly excited to have this opportunity to get vaccinated,” said NDSU Student Body President Matthew Friedmann.
Friedmann says his classmates and colleagues are eager to do their part in keeping the community safe and “protecting the herd.”
“At the beginning of the school year it was about wearing our masks and getting tested and staying socially distant, and now that we have the opportunity to get vaccinated, that’s really what ‘protect the herd’ means. It’s about trying to get back to whatever normal is,” he explained.
About 600 people that are part of the NDSU community are getting the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The one-shot vaccine, NDSU officials say, makes the most sense for college students.
Sanford Health Fargo Vice President Dr. Doug Griffin says a big challenge for this age group with two-dose vaccines would be making sure they get their second shot before the school year ends and they return home.
“I think that’s what we’ll need to do: make it convenient for these young people to get the vaccine and recognize it’s very important for them to do it,” he said.
Dr. Griffin adds vaccinating young adults is crucial since they are attributing to many of the new cases in Cass and Clay counties.
“This, I think, is a critical group, but I have belief in our young people,” he said. “I think they want to do the right thing for their neighbors and their colleagues and for their state and the people around.”
“We know that getting vaccinated is a big step returning to that on-campus experience that we were accustomed to years ago,” explained Friedmann.
The university would not allow our crew inside the clinic. The next one at NDSU is set to place April 14th.
