TANNER TRUAX
Special to The Leader
COVID-19 has affected this nation for over a year now.
One full year of hardships for those who lost their livelihoods, heartaches for the families who lost loved ones and anxiety for many Americans wondering when this nightmare might end.
In December, as the year that brought us this disease came to a close, the gleaming light at the end of the “COVID tunnel” could finally be seen in the form of a vaccine.
Although Americans and all of humanity still have a long road ahead of them, it was the official beginning to the end of this international tragedy.
With more people becoming eligible for the vaccine, SUNY Fredonia has applied to be a closed COVID-19 vaccination site in an attempt to help get the campus community vaccinated and to the other side of this metaphorical tunnel.
“Students, faculty and staff, rather than going somewhere else to take the vaccine, should be able to take it here [on campus],” said SUNY Fredonia president, Dr. Stephen Kolison.
Becoming a closed vaccination site, according to Kolison, would mean the vaccinations would strictly be for the benefit of the campus community including students, faculty and staff.
As COVID vaccinations work now, a person who wishes to be vaccinated will be sent wherever the closest opening is, which very often turns out to be not close at all and is quite inconvenient.
Although Dunkirk does have a vaccination site, according to Kolison, the site is very small and not capable of performing high amounts of vaccinations.
This is where coincidence plays in favor of SUNY Fredonia.
While undergoing the application process for a closed-site, Chautauqua County approached the campus on the possibility of becoming an open-site mass vaccination site.
This would make our campus a local hub for anyone eligible within the Dunkirk-Fredonia population, campus community and beyond to receive their much needed vaccines.
“The campus is finalizing details with the county,” said Vice President for Student Affairs, Dr. Cedric Howard.
“We could know the results as soon as five to 10 days.”
SUNY Fredonia would join the ranks of several other SUNY schools that are already such vaccination sites such as the University at Buffalo, SUNY Albany and SUNY Binghamton.
Though an open-site vaccination center would put the campus in the position to help fight the virus within the general population, this would mean that the state regulations would prevail and govern who is eligible to receive a vaccine.
Many students might have to wait a bit longer to be vaccinated as many don’t meet the current eligibility requirements set out by the government.
Hypothetically, according to Howard, if the campus community is able to reach full vaccination, whether it be through SUNY Fredonia becoming a closed-site or through individuals becoming eligible for vaccination at public vaccination sites, there could be a trend back toward pre-COVID normalcy.
“It is the administration’s desire to return to normal operation as soon as possible, including in-person classes for Fall 2021. Currently, we are not planning to adjust campus COVID protocols prior to significant vaccine distribution to members of the campus community,” said Howard.
Whether it be as a closed-site vaccination process aimed at protecting the campus community, or as a mass vaccination hub for the entire eligible community to benefit from, SUNY Fredonia will make an impactful difference as they will likely join the ranks of noble institutions offering time and space to help fight the worst public health crisis this world has seen in over a century.