UNC is moving up its vaccination timeline for students following increased supply and news that all North Carolinians will become eligible for their shot on April 7, no matter the group.

At the UNC Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday, Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz gave an update on vaccination and testing efforts as the university looks towards full, in-person learning in the fall semester.

Guskiewicz said the Carolina Together testing program is working “exactly” as planned.

Since the start of the spring semester, all undergraduate students living on campus, or in Chapel Hill and Carrboro community, have been required to participate in regular asymptomatic testing in an attempt to mitigate virus spread.

“As of this week, we’ve conducted more than 123,000 tests and our positivity rate among our campus community members is .24 percent,” Guskiewicz said.

Guskiewicz said he is encouraged by these low positivity rates, especially as more of the campus community is vaccinated. As vaccination efforts continue to ramp up across the state, UNC is now preparing to vaccinate students on campus in accordance with new state distribution guidelines.

On Thursday, Governor Roy Cooper announced that all of Group 4 will become eligible a week early, beginning March 31. For UNC this applies to students living in congregate settings including on-campus dorms and Greek life houses. It also applies to students in off-campus housing like apartment complexes and rented homes.

As Group 4 eligibility opens ahead of schedule, Guskiewicz said students will soon be able to get vaccinated at UNC’s new vaccination clinic on the ground floor of the Carolina Union.

“We just learned that Carolina will be receiving 2,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine that we will begin distributing at that clinic next week,” Guskiewicz said. “This is great for our campus – as you well know the J&J vaccine only requires one dose, making it quick and convenient for students to become vaccinated.”

While vaccinations will not be required for students, faculty or staff, Guskiewicz said they are strongly encouraged.

“We have been encouraging everyone within our campus community to receive the vaccination as soon as they’re eligible because this is a critical step in ending the pandemic and returning to normal campus operations as soon as possible,” Guskiewicz said.

Earlier this month, UNC leadership announced their plan to make a full return to in-person instruction in the fall – with Guskiewicz saying he is encouraged by the decreasing trend in COVID-19 cases and the increasing pace of the vaccine rollout locally.

In Orange County, nearly 32 percent of residents are at least partially vaccinated with 21 percent fully vaccinated.

“This is important as we think about how the fall semester is going to look,” Guskiewicz said. “We’ve continued to consult with our public health and faculty experts as we anticipate a return to full, in-person instruction and normal campus operations for this fall with many measures likely still in place to protect against the potential spread of the virus.”

Student vaccinations appointments will be available Wednesday 3/31 and Thursday 4/1 from 9 a.m. – 7.p.m., as well as Monday 4/5 and Tuesday 4/6, from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Due to the spring holiday, no vaccination appointments will be offered on Friday, 4/2.

Vaccination reservations can be made for students and post-doctoral fellows here.

 


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