Cal U will offer a free COVID-19 vaccination clinic on Aug. 27.
Aug 04, 2021
As delta variant moves in, Cal U fights the spread of COVID-19.
Cal U is strongly encouraging all students and employees to return for the fall semester fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
But those who haven’t yet gotten their shot won’t have to go far to receive the vaccine. Cal U again is teaming up with Mon Valley Hospital to offer a free vaccination clinic on campus.
Healthcare professionals will be available to answer questions and provide the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine for students, faculty and staff between noon and 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 27, in the Convocation Center.
Schedule your appointment for the free Aug. 27 vaccination clinic here. At the registration site, use the dropdowns to answer required questions, then click on the blue search bar, click the date and choose your appointment time.
Participants will be scheduled to return for their second dose on Friday, Sept. 17. Individuals are considered fully immunized two weeks after completing the two-dose regimen.
Vaccinations are free. Registration through Mon Valley Hospital’s scheduling system is preferred, but walk-ins are welcome.
Your best shot at protection
Studies show that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and highly effective at preventing the illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Being vaccinated also makes it less likely that you will become seriously ill, or require hospitalization, if you do contract COVID-19, the CDC says.
Vaccination is especially important now that the delta variant, a highly contagious form of the virus, is spreading rapidly across the country, including southwestern Pennsylvania. Many counties in our region are reporting “substantial” level of community transmission.
Learn more about the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination.
Along with commonsense precautions such as frequent hand-washing and avoiding crowded indoor settings, vaccination “provides the best protection against COVID-19,” the state Department of Health says.
As of Aug. 2, nearly two-thirds of all Pennsylvanians age 18 and older were fully vaccinated.
What students say
Rising senior Divonne Franklin, a biology major in Cal U’s pre-medicine concentration, addressed vaccine hesitancy this summer as part of the Science Communication and Outreach Fellowship led by microbiology instructor Dr. Michelle Valkanas.
Franklin said that learning more about the vaccine helped her overcome some initial uncertainty.
“Once I did some more of my own research, I began to feel better about the vaccine and understand the importance of it,” she said.
“I got the vaccine because I wanted to protect myself and those around me. This is the beginning of normalcy, and we all want everything to come back to normal.
“Talk to your healthcare provider about the different vaccine options and make sure you educate yourself,” she advises. “This is the next step for us to return back to normal and to live our lives.”