CCU brings vaccine clinic to campus

A CCU student getting their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine // Photo courtesy of Megan Wallace

A vaccine clinic was held Friday, Sept. 3 as a part of the “Vax to the Max” program that Coastal Carolina University is implementing as a way to encourage students to get vaccinated.

Director of Emergency Services, Carissa Medeiros said 55 Coastal students attended the first clinic. Following CDC guidelines, those students will go back for their second dose sometime in October after the recommended 28 days. Another vaccine clinic was held on Sept. 13 in Wheelwright Auditorium. This clinic was only for the first dose and another clinic will be held later in the year for the second dose.

The “Vax to the Max” program was designed to offer students incentives to get vaccinated. Coastal students who upload a picture of their COVID-19 vaccination card are automatically entered to win a $2,500 scholarship, which will be awarded to four students every week. They will begin choosing students every Friday starting Sept. 24 through Dec. 4.

According to the CCU website, only 30.11% of students and 49.27% of faculty are vaccinated. These low numbers of vaccinated students correlate with the amount of positive COVID-19 student cases that have been reported since school started, which, according to the CCU COVID-19 dashboard, is 117 so far.

Student Government Association President Brianna Martin believes CCU implemented the indoor mask mandate in “the knick of time” with how cases were rising in Horry county.

“Without the mask mandate, we would be online,” said Martin.

Martin suggests that if students continue to push the boundaries of the mask mandate, online learning is something students may have to get used to again.

“I think that if we keep moving as students in the way that we're operating right now, then yes we will go back online,” said Martin.