Vaccination Clinic Opens on Idaho State’s Campus in Meridian

Idaho State University and Albertsons are collaborating to vaccinate all priority groups against COVID-19, including those 65 years of age and older. A mass vaccination clinic opens this week in the Sam and Aline Skaggs Health Science Center on the University’s Meridian campus.

The clinic will be open every Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., March 5 through April 9, 2021 at the ISU Meridian Health Science Center Clinics, 1311 E. Central Drive in Meridian. Appointments are required, and walk-ins will not be accepted. Appointments must be scheduled online at  kordinator.mhealthcoach.net/vcl/ISUCLINIC. Vaccine recipients will also need to provide proof they live in Idaho, and be at least 16 years old. 

The University will provide faculty and student pharmacists to administer the vaccine, and other health professions volunteers to provide support; Albertsons will provide pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Authorized vaccine providers at local pharmacies and clinics are already providing vaccines, and this new mass vaccination clinic will further the reach in the community 

According to Central District Health, Idaho’s approximately 250,000 residents who are age 65 or above have been prioritized for the next phase of vaccinations, along with first responders and safety workers, including fire, police, and protective services, pre-K–12 school staff and teachers and daycare workers, and correctional and detention facility staff. It is important to note that vaccination in one phase may not be complete before vaccination in another phase begins. Vaccination in these phases will likely overlap.

“As the State’s leader in the health sciences, we are proud to collaborate with others in our community to provide this critical service,” said ISU President Kevin Satterlee. “Our collaboration brings together trained professionals and dedicated volunteers, in an ideal location, to vaccinate our community. We are proud to join this collaborative effort that will greatly enhance the health, safety, and well-being of our entire community.”

The clinic will be able to administer about 400 doses of the Pfizer vaccine per day.

Current estimates are that by early summer 2021, enough vaccines will be available for everyone who is recommended to receive the vaccine. There will be no out-of-pocket costs to individuals for the vaccine; however, healthcare providers may bill insurance for administrative costs. The COVID-19 vaccine will require two doses, separated by three or four weeks depending on the manufacturer. Idahoans should receive both doses in order to have full protection from the virus. Individuals who receive the vaccine may experience mild side effects such as low-grade fever, sore arm and fatigue, which indicate that the vaccine is working.

“Most people will experience some mild injection site reactions such as pain, redness, and swelling,” said Tim Flynn, patient care pharmacist. “Other reactions from the vaccine will vary by individual but include fever, headache, fatigue, chills, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, and joint pain. Reactions are more common after the second dose of vaccination.”

For specific information about the novel coronavirus, please visit the district health department’s website. For Idaho-specific information about the novel coronavirus, please visit coronavirus.idaho.gov.

This is the second collaborative clinic on an Idaho State University campus. In February, a COVID-19 mass vaccination site opened next to Holt Arena on the University’s Pocatello campus.