By Danielle Modica and Meghan Brink | April 5, 2021
536 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are to be distributed at SEFCU Arena for Phase 1B-eligible students and employees as a part of the university’s effort to increase vaccine availability to students.
The news of this vaccination site rolled out shortly after Governor Cuomo’s March 29th announcement that all New Yorkers, 16 years and older, can get vaccinated beginning April 6th.
Vaccines will be administered at the SEFCU Arena at UAlbany’s uptown campus on Tuesday, April 6th and the second dosage is scheduled for Tuesday, April 27th. This vaccine site continues along the “Vaccinate UAlbany'' plan of action.
The vaccines at the SEFCU Arena are being administered through a “closed point of dispensing” or CPOD, with eligibility available only to UAlbany students and faculty via appointment for both dates.
This is the second CPOD to be held at the university as a continuation of a collaboration with Russell Sage College and the Albany County Department of Health to administer vaccinations to their campuses. Qualified nursing students from Sage will be administering the vaccines.
“By partnering with institutions who have nursing students qualified to administer vaccines, we are working to drive up the percentage of our community receiving vaccinations while simultaneously helping qualified nursing students get real-life experience by administering shots,” said UAlbany Communications Specialist Kelsey Butz.
According to Butz, Maria College will also join as a partner for the April 4 CPOD.
The university is prepared to administer more CPOD as supply of vaccinations via the Albany County Health Department allows, according to Butz, and will continue to hold additional CPODs as instructed by Albany County.
“Albany County and ACDOH have been really fantastic partners throughout the entire pandemic,” said Jordan Carleo-Evangelist, UAlbany’s Director of Media and Community Relations. “We intend to try to vaccinate as many students as the time remaining in the semester and, more importantly, vaccine supply allow.”
Appointment sign-ups through the email registration link opened at 10 a.m. Friday morning and were fully booked out after 30 minutes.
In addition to the CPOD, eligible students and staff can make vaccinate appointments online at state-ran PODs such as the drive-through location at UAlbany’s Colonial Quad as well as a walk-through POD on the Northwest student parking.
“Students don’t have to get the vaccine at UAlbany,” said Butz. “They can, and should try, to schedule an appointment at any state or county-run site.”
Students with concerns or questions concerning the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine or possible side effects can reference an informational video made by professors Tomoki Udo and Eli Rosenberg of the School of Public Health shared via the UAlbany Twitter account.