Belmont plans to begin offering COVID-19 vaccines within the coming weeks

Belmont plans to begin offering COVID-19 vaccines to faculty, staff and students in the coming weeks, according to an email sent out by Health Services on Thursday.

The email included a survey to gauge interest. Anyone who completes this survey will receive information about getting a vaccine when it’s available.

The vaccine supply will be limited and the university is asking everyone to assess their risk of contracting the virus as stated in the Tennessee COVID-19 Vaccination Plan.

A survey was included in the email where students, faculty and staff can see which phase they fall into.

This news comes just two days before Saturday’s mass vaccination event at Nissan Stadium, where the city hopes to get shots into the arms of 10,000 residents.

Just like the state, Belmont plans to prioritize vaccines based on risk.

The school does not yet have a finalized plan and timeline for the vaccine rollout.

Senior commercial voice major Emilie Grey, who received her first dose of the Moderna vaccine and is getting ready for her second, said she felt super relieved after getting her vaccine.

“It’s just like any other vaccine,” she said. “I definitely think that Belmont offering vaccines is a great thing for them to do.”

Junior songwriting and social media management major Kenzie Culver received the single-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine on Tuesday night.

“This is the beginning of the end of this whole situation that we’ve been going through,” she said. “It was literally one day of not feeling too good and now I’m fine.”

Culver hopes that the single-dose shot will be available at Belmont because it is simple yet effective.

Grey and Culver both qualified to get their shots under Tennessee’s vaccine phase 1c.

Phase 1c launched earlier this month and includes residents 16 and older who have high-risk health conditions.

Health Services will continue to update students as vaccines become available. 

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This article written by Sarah Maninger.