CSULB has administered over 850 doses of Pfizer vaccine so far

Long Beach State has administered 858 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to faculty and staff members on campus as of Feb. 8, according to university data.

CSULB staff and faculty are among the first members of the Beach community currently able to receive the vaccine on campus through scheduled appointments.

According to Jeff Cook, associate vice president for strategic communications, the university’s COVID-19 vaccine prioritization plan has been in place since the program was announced last month.

Under the directive of public health officials, the campus community is expected to be vaccinated in a priority-based distribution process:

1. Essential personnel working on campus
2. Faculty and staff who are 65 and older or high-risk
3. All faculty and staff who have not been vaccinated
4. High-risk students
5. On-campus students including residents, athletes and those in face-to-face courses
6. Students entering clinical rotations
7. All students who have not been vaccinated

“We have opened appointments to those current staff and faculty with in-person responsibilities, those with higher risks and those who are older,” Cook said.

Isabella Lanza, an associate professor in the Department of Human Development, received her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine last week at the Walter Pyramid parking structure.

“I didn’t think CSULB would start the vaccination distribution so soon, so I was completely surprised when I received the email to make the vaccine appointment,” Lanza said. “I actually received my vaccine the same day as both my parents since I spent almost two weeks looking for an appointment for them, but we finally found spots at the Magic Mountain Megapod site in Valencia, and had a mini-celebration that day.”

Lanza said she was “impressed” with the university’s distribution process, describing it as “incredibly well-organized, easy and quick” and “most efficient rollout” she’s seen.

“I was in and out in 15 minutes,” she said, not counting the post-vaccine 15 minute waiting period. “Everyone was friendly, helpful and patient.”

With the city administering vaccines using its own distribution plan, some staff and faculty members have already received their first dose at a different vaccination site. Many are planning to receive their second dose from the Beach’s supply at the Walter Pyramid parking structure.

Chris Lowe, a marine biology professor and Shark Lab director, said he received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at Long Beach Memorial Hospital and plans on getting his second dose on campus.

“I was able to get my first vaccine a few days before the university offered them,” Lowe said. “It’s great that we’re finally getting the vaccine, it’s really our first step in getting back to work and seeing students’ smiling faces in the classroom rather than on Zoom.”

Lowe said he feels the city is “doing a phenomenal job” with its vaccine rollout and looks forward to returning to campus to resume work in the marine biology program. Having been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, the program is eager to get students back to their research, he said.

“Hopefully we can get the rest of my staff and students vaccinated soon,” Lowe said.

According to Cook, the health center has yet to move onto the next group of individuals and hasn’t begun dispensing vaccines to the general student body.

“Until we have a predictable schedule for the delivery of vaccines, it is difficult to project a timeline,” Cook said.

Brigid Shanley, a third-year linguistics major, said they pre-registered for the Pfizer vaccine in January and is still awaiting an appointment email.

“I’m hoping to get my vaccine soon as I also work for the school as a research assistant and I have asthma, but so far I haven’t gotten an email offering an appointment,” Shanley said.

Shanley said they would like to be informed of the university’s vaccination progress and when more doses arrive.

“I know it can be hard to predict when new shipments of vaccines are coming in, but I think they could tell us what they’ve managed to do so far,” Shanley said. “I feel a little in the dark.”

CSULB’s vaccine dashboard will be updated Mondays to show the total reported number of vaccinations administered.