University of Houston & Walgreens Start Vaccinating Students & Staff Against COVID-19

The University of Houston (UH), in partnership with the pharmaceutical company Walgreens, has started delivering COVID-19 vaccines to almost 1,100 faculty members and students in Texas, an official press release by UH reads.

In addition, the vaccines are firstly being submitted to frontline healthcare workers and people 65 years or older. The 16-year-olds with chronic medical conditions are also being vaccinated against COVID-19 as a result of the partnership between Walgreens and the university, Erudera.com reports.

Jenna Riley, a UH Nursing student, is the first person to get the vaccine during the two-day long university’s first mass vaccination in Student Center South.

“It’s definitely a relief. Coming to UH is really a good experience because I go to school here. I was able to get a vaccine here and help my community,” said Riley, who is also a volunteer at this event.

The UH Students Health Center became an approved vaccine distributor this January, and ever since, they have kept this continuous effort to battle COVID-19. UH has received 1,000 Moderna doses of COVID-19 vaccine from the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) in late February, which it started utilizing during March.

In partnership with Walgreens, UH offers the vaccination space, arranges volunteers, manages the logistics and appointments, and Walgreens provides a pharmacy team to vaccinate and complete the documentation required by the state. 

Suzy Harrington, UH spokesperson for student affairs, health, and well-being took the time to comment on this successful joint effort.

“We are grateful to have a partnership between the Student Health Center and Walgreens to make this mass vaccination effort a reality,” Harrington said.

Since COVID-19 vaccines became available, Walgreens has been one of the leading suppliers by providing more than four million vaccinations among the population.

As the university receives more shots of the COVID-19 vaccine, appointments for vaccination are expected to become available. The UH students and employees who meet the government’s criteria can join the waitlist by completing a Vaccination Clinic Registration questionnaire.

“This is a great first step in our efforts to deliver the COVID-19 vaccine to campus, and we are so thankful for the incredible collaboration to make it happen,” said Dr. Cheryl Person, executive director and chief physician at the center.

On the other hand, College of Medicine students at UH, in partnership with Lone Star Circle of Care, are working to distribute COVID-19 vaccines in low-income communities equally. They are administering 200 doses of vaccines at Holman Street Baptist Church.

“Our former church leader Manson B. Johnson II passed away from COVID-19, and so us taking the lead to host an event like this means a lot,” the new pastor of the church, Murray G. Martin, said.

As Erudera.com previously reported, the University of Houston has previously been honored with the Jessie L. Moore 2021 Supplier Diversity Award for its support for Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB).

This award is an honor known nationwide which recognizes high education institutions that endorse and engage with minority-owned businesses.