Boston University designated vaccine distribution center, begins rollout

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts designated Boston University as a COVID-19 vaccine distribution center, which BU President Robert Brown announced in a school-wide email Thursday.

The University will begin vaccinating community members in line with the three-phase plan outlined by the Mass. government, Brown wrote, which may take until the end of the summer to complete.

Charles River Campus health care workers will receive the first 500 doses, Brown wrote.

The vaccine was distributed from 9:30 a.m to 4:00 p.m. Friday, said Rachel Lapal Cavallario, BU assistant vice president of public relations and social media.

Judy Platt, director of BU Student Health Services, wrote in an email that those currently being vaccinated work in “COVID-facing roles,” such as laboratory faculty, health care providers and vaccination site staff.

Students in frontline health care positions are included in the first wave of vaccinations, according to BU’s Vaccination Phase 1 Priority Schedule.

BU does not currently have a specific number of students who will receive the vaccine in Phase 1, Lapal Cavallario said.

In Brown’s email, he urged students to take the vaccine, but acknowledged the reservations some may hold.

“Our goal is to vaccinate as many members of our community as wish to be vaccinated,” Brown wrote. “I recognize that some members of the community may be reluctant.”

Opposition to the vaccine is a concern, Lapal Cavallario said, and BU is focusing on education to make sure students are properly informed.

“It’s going to be a big focus on getting that information out to the BU community, so that people have the facts and can make that decision for themselves,” Lapal Cavallario said.

Lapal Cavallario wrote in an email that BU currently will not mandate the COVID-19 vaccination.

For second semester seniors, Lapal Cavallario said, eligibility to be vaccinated by the University has still not been determined — it remains unclear whether they belong to the BU community once they graduate.

“It’s still a little bit early to have a perfect answer to that,” Lapal Cavallario said. “BU is approved for distribution for its community members.”

Hannah Schweitzer, a recent graduate of BU and project manager at F— It Won’t Cut It, said the group will focus on educating students through social media this Spring.

One aspect the campaign will continue to use for vaccine education, which it used last semester, is the “BS Meter,” Schweitzer said, which involves posting a myth about COVID-19 on Instagram and disproving the false information.

“This is kind of going to be one of our main talking points, as you can expect, into the Spring,” Schweitzer said. “We are really excited about it. We find it fascinating.”

Nyah Jordan, a junior in the College of Communication, said she is hopeful that the vaccine is a sign of progress toward the end of the pandemic.

“I think that it’s definitely a step forward and hopefully a step out of this pandemic,” Jordan said. “We definitely have a ways to go, but this is looking very good.”

She added the problems associated with the pandemic will not go away overnight because of the vaccine rollout.

“I would just implore everyone to continue what they did last semester in terms of staying safe,” Jordan said.

Lapal Cavallario said the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine was a milestone in fighting the pandemic.

“It’s an exciting moment,” she said. “There’s a light at the end of the tunnel for COVID.”