TWU Student Health Services has received 1,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine from the Texas State Department of Health Services (TSDHS).
TWU is following the guidelines set forward by the state of Texas. As of March 15, 2021, the DSHS vaccine priority groups include:
- Phase 1A: Health care workers and support staff, EMS providers, pharmacy staff, public health and emergency response staff involved in COVID-19 testing or vaccination, and mortuary or death service providers.
- Phase 1B: People 65 years of age and older, people 16 and older with a chronic medical condition that puts them at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19, and teachers, school staff, and childcare workers.
- Phase 1C: People 50 to 64 years of age.
Because vaccine supply continues to be limited, decisions about which groups to prioritize within the DSHS defined phases will be based on the risk of direct exposure to COVID-19, risk of serious illness and death due to age and other factors, and the national priority to reopen schools.
Based on these considerations, vaccinations at TWU will be provided in the following order of priority:
1. Healthcare: Faculty, staff, and students providing direct patient care
2. Childcare providers: TWU Clubhouse staff and student staff
3. Faculty, staff, and students who work in preK-12, including student teachers
4. Faculty, staff, and students 50 years of age and older
5. Faculty, staff, and students with chronic medical conditions who are 18 and older
6. Retirees and alumni with chronic medical conditions who are 18 and older
7. Household family members of faculty, staff, and students with chronic medical conditions who are 18 and older
Student Health Services will hold vaccination clinics on the Denton campus starting the week of March 15 and initially will focus on clinical students as identified in Priority Group 1 including nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech pathology.
As TWU receives additional vaccines, Student Health Services will send vaccination registration emails to eligible persons and continue working through the DSHS vaccination priority groups. The amount of vaccine available each week will determine how many persons receive a vaccine registration email. Because TWU’s access to additional vaccine allotments remains uncertain, members of the university community are encouraged to consider registering for the vaccine wherever it is available.