Many campus community members now eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccine in N.C.

Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz announced in a campus message that the second part of Group 3 would be available to receive the COVID-19 vaccine beginning on March 3 — a week earlier than expected.

These prioritization guidelines, set out by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, include college and university instructors and support staff working in-person.

This means employees, including professors, teaching assistants and research assistants, teaching in-person classes are now eligible to receive the vaccine. This group also includes students who have in-person work-study positions or receive paychecks from the University, as well as students who are deemed frontline essential workers outside of the University. 

Such is the case for sophomore Grace Souder who works as a student assistant with Campus Recreation. She said she was pleasantly surprised by the news of eligibility. 

“I immediately texted my family because I am very excited,” Souder said. “I didn’t think I was going to get it for months because of being young and being a student.”

Will Patton, a graduate teaching assistant in the political science department, shared a similar sentiment. Patton teaches a HyFlex course, which incorporates both in-person and remote instruction. 

“I was definitely excited, because it’s sort of a step toward a return to normalcy,” he said. “It made me excited that I’ll probably be fully vaccinated by the end of this month.”

In order to receive the vaccine, registration with the state is required. But the University announced in an email that eligible faculty and students would be automatically registered. 

With this step completed, employees and students are left with the task of securing an appointment to be vaccinated. Because there is such a high demand, it has been difficult for some to get a spot.

Sarah Stroud, a professor in the department of philosophy and director of the Parr Center for Ethics, said while it was initially hard to get an appointment, she was eventually able to get one in Holly Springs, North Carolina.

“My excitement sort of went away when I went to all the websites and wasn’t able to get an appointment,” Stroud said. “I was refreshing the web pages all the time and at a certain point more appointments popped up on the UNC Health page.”

Despite these obstacles, Stroud said the process of receiving the vaccine was easy.

“Once you get your appointment and get to the facility, it all seems very fast and easy and very well-organized,” she said. 

Many instructors and students said they felt a sense of relief after receiving the vaccine. For Souder, getting the vaccine means protecting her friends and family.

“I feel safer again, especially for everyone around me,” she said. “I want to support my friends, my family and everyone else, so I’m still going to follow guidelines by wearing a mask and trying to keep my distance.”

Even those who have received the vaccine are still required to follow COVID-19 community guidelines and continue to get tested through the Carolina Together Testing Program. 

Some members of the campus community see this new round of vaccine prioritization as a sign of hope for the future. 

“It is great to know that, in a few weeks, I’m going to be fully protected,” Stroud said. “I want the world to return to something that is more recognizably human, so what moving through the ranks of the vaccine means to me is taking steps toward that normal return.”

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