After a two-week pause, providers across the country including the University of Tennessee at Knoxville have resumed use of Johnson & Johnson s COVID-19 vaccine.
The single shot is an easier-to-use tool for fighting the pandemic in places like college campuses because patients are vaccinated in one shot.
Dr. Spencer Gregg, director of UT s Student Health Center, told Knox News he hoped to vaccinate as many people as possible by the end of the spring semester using Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines. Exams end May 6.
However, the temporary stop has made a significant difference in patients willingness to get the vaccine and how the university will dole out doses.
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The University of Tennessee will not require students at any campus to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The policy is a change in course from last summer when a requirement was considered.
In June as worries about a double pandemic appeared, the university s board of trustees passed an emergency rule making the flu vaccine a requirement for all students and employees. If one was developed, administrators said at the time, the COVID-19 vaccine would be a requirement, too.
Now, the emergency rule has expired and the vaccine is simply strongly encouraged.
After meeting with members of the UT community in recent months, System President Randy Boyd and members of the board of trustees decided against a vaccine mandate. That decision was based factors like availability of the vaccine and the emergency use authorization, UT spokesperson Jennifer Sicking said.
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With about a month left in the spring semester, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville has a huge goal: vaccinate as many people as possible, said Dr. Spencer Gregg, director of the Student Health Center.
UT has been vaccinating students, faculty and staff as they were eligible under Tennessee s rollout plan. Now that Tennesseans ages 16 and up are eligible, UT is opening up appointments for all students.
Gregg said, ideally, 100% of the campus will get vaccinated. That truly is our goal, Gregg said in an interview with Knox News. We would love for everybody that s going to be on campus to have been vaccinated.