University of Northern Iowa, Iowa State hold mass vaccination clinics this week

For four hours Tuesday morning, the University of Northern Iowa will kick off a week of on-campus COVID-19 vaccination clinics with one just for students wanting the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

In a campus communication Monday, UNI officials warned “very few spots remain” for the student-only campus clinic from 8:20 a.m. to 12:25 p.m.

“Due to many factors, including production delays for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, this will likely be the only opportunity to receive this particular vaccine on campus this semester,” according to the message from UNI Associate Provost for Faculty John Vallentine and Risk Management, Environmental Health and Safety Director Joseph Rayzor.

UNI also is offering — by appointment only, but at no cost — three additional COVID vaccine clinics this week for the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. UNI faculty, staff and students are invited to schedule appointments for those clinics in the West Gym at:

Those registering for the double-dose vaccination must be prepared to return for their second shot during the week of May 2 — also finals week.

Iowa State too beginning this week is holding a series of large-scale vaccination clinics — prompting campus leaders to issue a call for help from faculty, staff, postdocs and graduate assistants.

The “mass vaccination clinic” in the campus’ State Gym will run in shifts from 7:30 to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday, April 20-23, April 26-May 1, and May 3-7. All students, faculty and staff are welcome to sign up, according to ISU administrators.

In their appeal for help, Iowa State leaders report needing to fill nearly 750 “individual non-clinical full-day shifts” for things like wayfinding, registration, observation and data entry.

Although the University of Iowa has distributed a survey among its campus community seeking feedback on who wants to be vaccinated at UI Student Health, the campus has not yet announced any plans for mass vaccination of students, faculty and staff.

Gov. Kim Reynolds recently announced getting vaccines to the state’s public universities is a priority — given many students will disperse to their respective home communities in a matter of weeks.

Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.

Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com