JAMES MEAD
Managing Editor
[UPDATE 4/13/2021: Usage of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been paused in New York and across the US. The SUNY chancellor has announced that the statewide university system will be looking at alternative vaccines to inoculate students instead of its prior plans to use J&J.]
As of this past Tuesday, April 6, all New Yorkers ages 16 and up are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
This includes every adult who resides in, works in or studies in N.Y. — including students at SUNY Fredonia.
With eligibility now wide-open, how do you get in line to receive the vaccine?
First, know your transportation options.
If you’re a student, you may not have a car, so you should start your search on Chautauqua County’s website.
The county health department is keeping its website up-to-date with any upcoming vaccine clinics; when there’s an upcoming clinic at SUNY Fredonia, this will be the first place to find information.
The school has, and may continue to send emails when there are open appointments for an on-campus clinic, but you’ll have much better chances by keeping an eye out yourself.
The Chautauqua Center does offer a vaccine waitlist, but you should know that TCC is located off-campus and may be a bit of a walk, if you don’t find a ride.
If you have a car, or are able to travel outside of your current county, you can look at other nearby clinics through the volunteer-run WNY Vaccine Hound.
This website consolidates open appointments across Western N.Y. As it says on the front page, however, the data it collects isn’t perfect, so, “When in doubt, please check directly with the actual vaccination provider for the most current information.”
The keys to finding an open and accessible vaccine clinic are patience and persistence — check daily, as appointments are ever-changing.
Once you’ve found an appointment that you can attend, pause for a moment before you sign up.
If the vaccine being offered is from either Pfizer or Moderna, then being vaccinated requires two shots spaced 21 to 28 days apart. Be sure to verify that you’re available for both your first and second dose appointments.
For many students, the answer is quickly becoming no.
Classes end on May 7, and May 14 marks the end of Finals Week, so if you don’t live locally, your second appointment may become complicated.
While there is no apparent requirement to receive your second dose at the same location, clinics typically schedule the second appointment alongside the first.
This means that if you schedule your first appointment where there would be a conflict with returning later, it becomes your responsibility to find a suitable appointment for your second shot.
If you’re receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, then you’ll only require one shot, so you won’t have this issue.
This very trait of the J&J vaccine has also made it desirable to the SUNY system.
On April 6, Chancellor Jim Malatras announced that SUNY received its first reserved shipment of 18,600 J&J vaccines to be used for SUNY residential students by the end of the semester.
According to an email from President Kolison, “SUNY is distributing the vaccines first to campuses that are running their own vaccination clinics. After that, they will distribute vaccines to campuses that are working in partnership with other agencies to administer vaccines.”
Because the on-campus clinics are run by the Chautauqua County Department of Health, our school falls into the second category.
As a student of SUNY Fredonia, you do have options to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, and as time goes on, know that those options will likely continue to grow.
However, don’t wait for the perfect opportunity to come to you: advocate for yourself, keep your eyes open and remember that being vaccinated isn’t just one step to “return to normal” — it’s protection, for you and those around you, against a virus that continues to claim lives.For more information on COVID-19 vaccines rollout in NYS, please visit N.Y.’s official portal.