USF to give COVID-19 vaccine to faculty, staff, starting with 65 and older

UNSPLASH/HAKAN NURAL

The university received the green light Thursday morning from the Hillsborough County Department of Health to begin administering the COVID-19 vaccine for free to “eligible” faculty and staff across all three campuses.

A limited supply of the vaccine will be offered to people age 65 and over through USF Health. The vaccine will be given at the USF Health Morsani Center for Advanced Health Care, located at 13330 Laurel Drive. Faculty and staff ages 65 and older will need to fill out a survey to schedule an appointment. USF Health will not take calls and walk-ups will not be allowed.

While the vaccine initially will only be given to individuals 65 and over, those under the age limit can still fill out a different survey to be placed in the queue. Once more vaccines become available and vaccine distribution is expanded to other age groups, USF Health will begin scheduling appointments.

As of Thursday, USF will only administer the vaccine on the Tampa campus. Faculty and staff from the St. Pete and Sarasota-Manatee campuses will have to travel to Tampa to receive the vaccine. The branch campuses will begin offering the vaccine once supplies become available in those counties.

The COVID-19 vaccine consists of two doses. After receiving the first dose, individuals will be scheduled to receive the second dose.

This is a developing story. Stay with The Oracle for more updates.