Cal Poly to begin offering COVID vaccines to students
Starting next week, some students at Cal Poly will have access to COVID-19 vaccines at the San Luis Obispo unversity’s on-campus health clinic.
The university will first offer appointments to students living in on-campus residence halls, student athletes currently in competition and students performing in ensembles through the Cal Poly Music Department, officials announced in a campus-wide message on Wednesday.
“These groups may be at a higher risk for COVID-19 both in transmission and in disease prevalence as a result of shared living spaces, frequent contact and, in some cases, travel,” Tina Hadaway-Mellis, assistant vice president for student affairs health and wellbeing, and Anthony Knight, executive director of public safety and emergency management, wrote in the announcement. “They are also subject to additional surveillance programs and mandated testing based on public health guidance.”
Students who are eligible for coronavirus vaccines will receive emails and PolyAlert text messages this week with links directing them on how to make appointments, the announcement said.
“Campus Health and Wellbeing hopes to open the campus clinic to all students in the coming weeks as vaccine supply allows,” the announcement said.
The first batch of vaccines Cal Poly received are Pfizer, so students will be offered those shots first, according to Cal Poly Director of Media Relations Matt Lazier. The university may receive other vaccines — such as those manufactured by Moderna or Johnson & Johnson — in the future, he added.
Students at Cal Poly are not required to receive COVID-19 vaccines, but Hadaway-Mellis and Knight noted that they are “highly encouraged” to do so.
Cal Poly students also eligible for vaccine at SLO County clinics
Cal Poly students in San Luis Obispo County ages 16 and older were eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine through the county beginning April 7. All California residents in that age range will be eligible to be vaccinated against the virus starting Thursday.
“SLO County Public Health is testing the new MyTurn vaccine appointment registration system and has allocated several hundred appointments to Cal Poly students to help refine the sign-up process,” Hadaway-Mellis and Knight wrote in the announcement. “Cal Poly students in the higher-risk groups outlined above (music ensembles, in-season athletics and residence halls) will be notified this week with links to appointments at county vaccination sites happening on April 19, 20 and 21.”
Additionally, students can register for vaccine appointments through the county at RecoverSLO.org or by calling the County Phone Assistance Center at 805-543-2444 or 805-781-4280.
There are also several local pharmacies that have opened a limited number of COVID-19 vaccine appointments for those ages 16 and older or those with certain medical conditions that cause a weakened immune system.
Students encouraged to ‘do your part’ to slow spread of COVID-19
Cal Poly students who go to campus for any reason or live with someone who does go to campus are still required to get tested for COVID-19 twice weekly.
If students do not comply with testing requirements, they will lose access to their student email accounts, online class portals and other essential services necessary for attending the university.
“At this time, being fully vaccinated does not exempt required students from Cal Poly’s ongoing testing program,” Hadaway-Mellis and Knight wrote in the announcement. “Public health experts continue to affirm that ongoing testing can help identify outbreaks and keep our campus healthy.”
The university officials encouraged students to “continue to do your part” to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the community.
Since April 1, 148 students have tested positive for COVID-19. That’s a jump in the number of daily cases compared to all of March — during that month, a total of 195 cases were reported by the university.
Compared to all of San Luis Obispo County, Cal Poly students have recently made up a significant portion of the new reported cases every day during April.
The county has reported 322 total new cases since April 1 as of April 13, according to EmergencySLO.org. That means that Cal Poly students may have accounted for more than 60% of the county’s cases so far this month.
In March, Cal Poly students made up a little more than 22% of the county’s overall COVID-19 cases.
“It’s more important than ever that everyone in our campus community recommit to the small but important measures that keep us healthy: wear your face covering, respect physical distancing, avoid large gatherings and wash your hands regularly,” Hadaway-Mellis and Knight wrote in the campus announcement. “Driving case rates as low as possible during the vaccine roll out means that variants are less likely to take hold in our community or shapeshift to the point that vaccines are rendered ineffective. Your choices make a big difference in the health of our community, and, together, we can end the pandemic for good.”
