Vaccine Scaries

BU’s Relationship with the Covid-19 Vaccine

written by Tiahna Creo photographed by Julia Pellar designed by Solana Chatfeld

With spring slowly creeping in, many students are thawing themselves out and enjoying the beautiful weather and sharing excitement for warmer days. We are halfway through the semester, and the start of spring (and hopefully the Covid-19 vaccine) brings new beginnings.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts announced in January that Boston University was designated as a vaccination distribution center, a message that gave the community some hope and tangible measurement for how to get the vaccine. Though time hasn’t felt real for a while, that good news only lasted so long. On February 26, the state of Massachusetts prioritized mass vaccinations centers, and as a result, halted all frst-dose vaccine distribution to higher education institutions, including BU.

“I’m from New Jersey and I was hoping to get the vaccine here before I went back home for the summer. I know they paused giving it [the vaccine] but I have hope that it’ll come back,” said undergraduate student Sarah Coleman (CFA ‘24).

However, it’s not all bad news. Those who were lucky enough to have already received the frst dose will still be eligible to receive the second one from a BU distribution center. But for everyone else that has not gotten the chance to receive either vaccine, which is most of the student body based on the state’s priority guidelines, the program is suspended until further notice. The university’s initial goal was to give every member of the BU community who wants to get the vaccine the chance to do so. Considering that the BU community is made up of roughly 45,000 people, it was estimated to be a lengthy process that would have stretched into the summer. Since everything regarding Covid-19 is susceptible to change as we get new information, there is still a chance BU could be designated as a distribution center at a later point in time. As of now, it’s just a waiting game.