While just over 3,000 Cornell students have received some or all of their COVID-19 vaccine doses so far, students on campus get the opportunity to get vaccinated just two miles from campus in the coming week.
In a Saturday morning email, Associate Vice President Sharon McMullen announced that Tompkins County Health Department and Cayuga Medical Center will be hosting a “College Student Vaccination Day” on April 15, with registration available until 6 p.m. EDT on April 12.
The site will be carrying the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is a single dose vaccine unlike the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. This means that students will be considered “fully vaccinated” two weeks after the first shot, as opposed to requiring a second injection three to four weeks later.
Students interested in signing up for an appointment have to enroll in the TCHD Vaccine Registry as a student and indicate which institution they attend, even if they have previously registered. A set number of students from Cornell, Ithaca College and Tompkins Cortland Community College will be selected at random and will be sent available appointments via email on April 13.
The email stressed that students should check their inbox frequently, because students must adhere to their appointment time and they cannot be changed.
Those who sign up for the registry and are not chosen for the April 15 event will be notified of future availability for students by TCHD. Students can also seek out vaccination at New York State vaccination sites or at local pharmacies — including CVS, Rite Aid, Walmart, Walgreens, Tops Friendly Market, Kinney Drugs and Wegmans among others.