RALEIGH, NC – In April, a sizable group of North Carolina college students will be eligible for the vaccine, under the direction of the state Department of Health and Human Services.
When North Carolina drafted its initial COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan in October 2020, college students were ranked as a priority, just ahead of the general public. When schools reopened in August, the cohort demonstrated that it had the ability to quickly contribute to community outreach and feed outbreaks through off-campus parties.
But in January, North Carolina withdrew the group from the list of priorities amid a backlash from state lawmakers and the encouragement of federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to give a stronger preference to older and working adults. in certain labor sectors.
On Tuesday, health officials issued a statement stating that college students living on campus or in other congregated settings will be able to receive from April 7, regardless of age, health status or employment status. Students are included in phase 4b of the state’s COVID-19 vaccination plan, which also includes essential workers who have not yet been vaccinated.
During a news conference Wednesday, state health department secretary Mandy Cohen noted that college students who did not live in a dorm or apartment could be shot a few weeks after those living in more compact housing environments. .
“We want to prioritize those who are in congregation settings,” Cohen said. “We know that this is where the virus spreads most quickly, so we are making this prioritization. I don’t think there is a huge time difference. “
As of Wednesday, medically vulnerable residents who have been waiting for a vaccine for a long time and are at least 16 years old can receive a vaccine if they have at least one of the 18 eligible health conditions that could put them at risk for serious illness if they ‘infect virus. People at medical risk and people who are homeless or imprisoned are the first populations to be prioritized in phase 4. The state is on track to make all adults who have not yet been vaccinated eligible by May 1st.
Since the beginning of the fall semester, college students have become an important vector of transmission. An increase in cases at UNC-Chapel Hill aroused national attention and caused the university to leave face-to-face instructions for undergraduate students after a week of classes and let them leave their dormitories and return home. .
Duke University announced this weekend that it would impose a weekly campus closure following a series of new infections that the university has blamed primarily on the fraternity’s rush activities. The number of COVID-19 cases reported last week almost coincided with the total number of cases registered by the university throughout the fall semester.
Duke has seen a total of 556 positive cases among students since the beginning of 2021. The UNC has reported that it had 666 infected students this year, while North Carolina State University has seen 1,068 positive diagnoses.
Many schools have begun to make students aware of their eligibility for the vaccine. At Elon University, a small private university in Alamance County, the university has a vaccination section on its website that says, “Students, staff and faculty are encouraged to get the vaccine where and when it is available. “, noting that students in dormitories or apartments are eligible on April 7.
Chris Marsicano, a professor at Davidson College and director of the College Crisis Initiative, urges additional campuses to provide clear messages to help students understand when they will be eligible for vaccination.
“I know we’ve been telling students for months,‘ Wait. “We’re so close,” Marsciano said. “We’re really that close now. We’re at the end of the fourth quarter. Wait a little longer until you can get this vaccine.”
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