Gordon State College Begins Vaccinations
Gordon State College is pleased to announce that it has begun the process of vaccinating certain individuals on its campus to protect against the COVID-19 virus.
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine will be offered to those individuals who meet the current criteria to receive the vaccine – including faculty and staff who are 55+ years of age, anyone with developmental disabilities, or faculty and staff who are age 16 years or older with underlying conditions. Approximately 70 faculty and staff who met the criteria were vaccinated on the first day eligible.
“We believe that today marks a significant moment for Gordon State College and its entire community as we begin to administer the vaccine to mitigate the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19),” said Dr. Kirk A. Nooks, GSC President. “I am extremely proud of our Coronavirus Task Force and GSC Vaccination Team for their patience and determination over the past 12 months as we have endured this global pandemic. Now we are hopeful that we can begin the process of returning to a more normal campus environment as individuals are vaccinated.”
The GSC Department of Human Resources is partnering with the GSC Student Health Center; the GSC School of Nursing, Health and Natural Sciences; and the Lamar County Department of Public Health to make vaccines available as quickly and efficiently as possible.
“I am very excited to help bring COVID vaccine access to campus for the faculty and staff this next phase,” said Dr. Samantha Bishop, Director of Nursing at GSC. “I think we are fortunate that Sherry Farr and her team from Lamar County Health Department are willing to come to campus to bring this important step to us. I look forward to working with our nursing students in assisting them.”
COVID-19 disease is caused by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. This type of coronavirus has not been seen before. Individuals can get COVID-19 through contact with another person who has the virus and it is predominantly a respiratory illness that can affect other organs.
“I am also thankful to Sherry Farr and her team for partnering with us to allow our faculty and staff easy access to the COVID vaccines,” said Molly Minter, Director of the GSC Student Health Center.
Pending the receipt of additional supplies, more faculty, staff and students will be eligible to receive a vaccination in the coming weeks.
