Quinnipiac University students are looking forward to going no farther than Burt Kahn Court to receive their COVID-19 vaccinations during the on-campus clinic on April 29-30.

The clinic will begin on campus starting April 29, from noon to 5 p.m. and April 30, from 8 a.m. to noon. Quinnipiac has partnered with Griffin Hospital to administer the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to students.

Due to the two-dose process of the Pfizer vaccine, the university will host a second vaccine clinic on Friday, May 21, and Monday, May 24, from noon to 5 p.m.

Students who have already received their first dose and are due for their second during the week of April 25, can receive their second at the clinic.

Registration for the first clinic is available through a link sent in an email on April 22, from Bethany Zemba, vice president and chief of staff. Students must bring their driver’s license, student ID and copy of their health insurance card to their appointment. There will be a separate registration for the second clinic.

“This is something we’ve talked about for a very long time,” said David Hill, Quinnipiac’s senior medical adviser. “We felt it was important if we were encouraging students to be vaccinated that we provide as many opportunities as possible for that to happen.”

Hill said the university had originally planned to administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to its one-dose process, but because of the rare blood clot cases and a temporary pause in distribution, they shifted to Pfizer instead.

“It’s really the effort to assure that students who would like to be vaccinated, are vaccinated,” Hill said.

As to whether the university will mandate vaccinations for students in the fall semester, Hill said it is currently not the administration’s plan.

Related Stories:

‘We all have a common goal:’ Health care students vaccinate fellow Bobcats against COVID-19 at on-campus clinic

The side effects of staying safe: how the QU community has weathered the COVID-19 vaccine

Quinnipiac students react to being eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccine

“I do think it’s possible that we would require vaccination, but right now we’re not at that step,” Hill said. “The step now is to encourage students for their own health and the health of others and for the future of our campus.”

Other universities, like Yale and Wesleyan universities, have already announced they will be requiring students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 for the fall semester.

Tahj Sutherland, a first-year economics major, is planning to receive his first vaccination during the clinic on April 29.

“There’s a social influence of everyone else doing it, and the idea that ‘After I get it we can slowly kind of move back to normal life,’” Sutherland said of the decision to receive his vaccination.

Sutherland said he has not yet decided if he will return to campus for his second dose, but he is appreciative that Quinnipiac is offering students the opportunity to do so.

“A lot of clinics outside of here like Yale, they’re getting booked up quickly,” Sutherland said. “And there’s an urgency for people to get (vaccinated) now, so (Quinnipiac) providing it just shows they care.”

Aidan Copell, a first-year computer science major, is also planning on getting vaccinated at the Quinnipiac clinic. He said he hopes distributing vaccines on campus will encourage more students to get vaccinated.

“Most of the discouragement comes from the lack of appointments,” Copell said. “Now we are all able to be vaccinated.”

Leea Cotter, a first-year political science major, said she was trying to schedule her first dose before Quinnipiac announced the on-campus clinic but had difficulty due to the lack of appointments.

“I think (the on-campus clinic) is a good opportunity for students who might not have access right away in their home states,” Cotter said.

Students who are interested in learning more about on-campus vaccinations can visit the page on Quinnipiac’s website for vaccine information, or email the COVID-19 support center at [email protected].