University of Idaho’s COVID-19 Vaccine Town Hall included representatives from Gritman Medical Center and Public Health – Idaho North Central District, who answered questions following the district’s move to open vaccines to people age 16 and older.
To achieve herd immunity and move away from the pandemic, the university is encouraging students, faculty and staff to get the vaccine. However, they’re not required.
“The short answer is no, we will not be requiring vaccines in the spring nor next fall,” Dean of Students Blaine Eckles said. “Some institutions have moved in that direction. The University of Idaho is not moving in that direction and we’re not looking to require that.”
Director of Human Resources Brandi Terwilliger said university staff can use sick leave to get vaccinated.
Anna Fullmer, clinical lead of Gritman Medical Center’s vaccination clinic at the Student Recreation Center, said it’s important people use the scheduling system for appointments to avoid bottlenecks at the site.
“They’ll give you a consent, and some literature on the vaccine that you’re receiving,” Fullmer said. “Once you get those and get the consent filled out, you’ll be moved forward to the registration area where they’ll need your ID and insurance card.”
Once paperwork is dealt with, individuals are asked about their allergies before given the vaccine. After, people should be monitored for at least 15 minutes on site.
While individuals under the age requirement cannot get the vaccine, Gritman’s Chief Medical Officer John Brown recommends their family members be vaccinated to reduce the risk of spread. Though, the pediatric population is not as vulnerable as older individuals.
Brown explained the differences between the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are mRNA vaccines while Johnson & Johnson is a viral vector vaccine. The mRNA vaccines actually contain material from the virus that causes COVID-19, known as SARS-CoV-2. Vector vaccines contain a modified version of a different virus instead, with SARS-CoV-2 material kept within it.
The vaccines also see a difference in their number of and time between doses. Pfizer-BioNTech calls for two doses 21 days apart and Moderna’s two doses are 28 days apart. Johnson & Johnson’s is a single dose vaccine. Brown explained that the goal of vaccines is to get maximum immunity with the minimum amount of time and doses. With Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, taking multiple doses does not significantly impact efficacy. The other two dose vaccines are different, however.
According to Brown, the different number of doses needed with Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna’s vaccine is based on achieving maximum immunity.
While the vaccines may include mild temporary symptoms like swelling around the injection area, fatigue and headaches, more serious side effects are less common.
“We’re talking like several cases out of hundreds of thousands of people,” Brown said. “So, you know, very, very rare sorts of things.”
Those in the panel recommended taking 30-45 minutes to be vaccinated, including a 15 minute period for symptom monitoring.
The panel concluded with most speakers encouraging that individuals schedule appointments.
“I think that for society as a whole, getting vaccinated is clearly the right thing to do for your community,” Brown said. “For you as an individual…I know that some of you are young and healthy and the chances of you having a permanent problem from getting COVID-19 is low, but it’s not zero, and I still think your best playing of the odds is to get vaccinated.”
Haadiya Tariq can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @haadiyatariq