The ASU COVID-19 vaccination site opened Friday to a steady stream of local residents and ASU community members eligible to get the vaccine.
The site, located at the Sun Devil Fitness Complex at the Tempe campus, opened at 9 a.m. and quickly had a line form of people eligible for the vaccine who had pre-registered to receive their initial dose.
Jay Thorne, a University spokesperson, said the site had appointments registered throughout the day until 5 p.m. when the site closed. He said they expected more people to come in the morning and later in the afternoon, with less traffic around noon.
The vaccination process “worked just like clockwork,” said Mozhdeh Rowshangah, a coordinator at The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences who was vaccinated at the site Friday. “Everything went perfect,” she said.
Over 11,000 ASU community members are currently eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Employees eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine "are identified by the ASU human resources department and provided to the Arizona Department of Health Services" who will then email the employee instructions about registration, a University spokesperson said.
According to an email sent to some students asking them to volunteer at the site, 500 COVID-19 vaccine doses will be distributed each day the site is open. ASU will be receiving 1,000 COVID-19 vaccines to administer each week, according to a spokesperson.
According to the email sent to students obtained by The State Press, the site will be open Monday and Friday “with the expectation of keeping the schedule for the next eight weeks,” but a spokesperson did not confirm.
The vaccination site at the SDFC will be open again Monday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Thorne wrote that in just 12 hours Thursday, 480 volunteer slots filled, covering the vaccine site's schedule until March. He said the College of Health Solutions has led recruitment so far.
On Friday the site had 32 Reserve Officers' Training Corps student volunteers to help the vaccination administration process, Thorne wrote in an email.
Anthony Rivera and Jack Frus, two student volunteers who were tasked with helping those vaccinated as they left the site if needed, answering peoples' questions and making sure no one entered through the wrong entrance, said all ROTC members were sent emails saying they could volunteer at the site.
“I saw it as a way to get out and help the community,” said Rivera, a junior studying exercise and wellness. He added volunteering at the site would be a good way to get experience in the medical field.
Frus, a sophomore majoring in political science and history, said the morning had been smooth and so far it had been “mostly older folks getting their shots in.”
Reach the reporter at wmyskow@asu.edu and follow @wmyskow on Twitter.
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Wyatt Myskow is the project manager at The State Press, where he oversees enterprise stories for the publication. He also works at The Arizona Republic, where he covers the cities of Peoria and Surprise.
