BU proceeds with Phase Two vaccinations, faces limited supply

Boston University is currently moving forward with COVID-19 vaccinations of students with two or more medical conditions, but the process is experiencing setbacks from a limited supply, said a BU Medical Advisory Group member.

Professor of global health and medicine Davidson Hamer said institutions such as BU are not receiving their requested number of vaccine doses from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts because some hospitals have been “overly ambitious.”

“We don’t want to give away too many doses, as we have a tight supply,” he said.“When somebody has over-ordered, that hurts everybody else, I think, until there’s an abundance of supply.”

Hamer said BU has not received the full allotment it needs to vaccinate the entire student body, and students who currently qualify for the vaccine — those with comorbidities that fit the Phase Two requirements — are a small group.

“Both Pfizer and Moderna are really trying to scale up production and provide a greater number of doses to the U.S. as a whole,” Hamer said. “That should trickle down to our state.”

Hamer said the timing of the vaccine rollout depends on how long it will take companies to produce the ample number of vaccines necessary for the entirety of Massachusetts.

Hamer said the BU Medical Advisory Group is “cautiously optimistic” concerning the vaccine rollout going forward.

“My hope is that the state’s supply will improve,” he said, “so that they will be able to provide sufficient vaccine.”

BU spokesperson Colin Riley wrote in an email BU depends on the Commonwealth for vaccine doses, and not all individuals who qualify for vaccination may be able to receive a vaccine right now.

He added the opportunity to schedule a vaccination was “first-come, first served.”

“It is one thing to be eligible and another to have sufficient doses available,” Riley wrote.

College of Communication sophomore Nicole Geary said despite being a student eligible for the Phase Two vaccination, she has not been able to get vaccinated due to the unavailability of appointments.

“Every time I went to go check, all the appointment slots are filled,” she said.

Geary said BU could improve its vaccine rollout.

“Obviously, it’s completely dependent on the government and how much of the vaccine they actually give us,” Geary said. “In terms of how BU is doing compared to the state, I think they’re falling behind a little bit.”

She said it was understandable that medical institutions take vaccination precedence over academic institutions.

“I guess at this point, BU is not as much of a priority as a hospital,” she said.

Geary said she hopes that as vaccines become more available, BU will become capable of vaccinating more students.

“I know a lot of people who are considered essential workers and who are going to be needing the vaccine within the next month or so,” she said. “When that happens, we’re going to need a lot more of the vaccine than we currently have.”

Questrom School of Business freshman Victoria Molina said as an essential worker in food service, she is eager to get vaccinated soon, but would understand if that is not possible.

“There’s not the biggest supply of vaccines,” Molina said, “especially for the whole country and the state of Massachusetts.”

Molina said it is not realistic to expect vaccines to be ready for all BU students by the end of the Spring semester, but she hopes they will be readily available in the summer and fall.

“If BU is given vaccines from the state, I think they definitely should be obligated to provide the vaccine to essential workers and students in the high-risk category,” Molina said.

She said BU could have done more to reach out to students and ensure everyone was aware of Phase Two vaccinations.

Students were notified through email to complete a survey and appropriate attestation of their health conditions through Patient Connect to be eligible for a Phase Two vaccination.

“Some people might have not seen the email,” Molina said. “Maybe they could have been more open about the survey, making sure that everyone really fills it out and maybe making it a requirement.”

College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Daniel Reis said he believes the vaccine rollout should gradually include more and more of the student body.

“They do have to prioritize the people who need it the most first,” Reis said. “In the coming weeks and months, there should be a little bit more progressive movement towards more students.”

Reis said while he recognizes the vaccine will probably be unavailable until the Fall, he would still like for it to be widely accessible by April.

“If a school were to have the duty to immunize its students,” he said, “BU should be one of the top schools to do it.”