UTEP makes progress in vaccine efforts, not requiring students to get vaccinated next fall

EL PASO, Texas -- The University of Texas at El Paso said it’s vaccine program is doing well, administering nearly 6,200 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine since becoming a vaccine provider. 

That number is only expected to grow as more vaccines become available. This weekend, the university plans on administering nearly 2,500 doses of the Pfizer vaccine. 

“It's a true team effort for how the clinic has worked. And of course, we started it from scratch,” said UTEP Vice President and Chief of Staff Andrea Cortinas. “Nobody really knew how to set a pandemic Covid-19 vaccination clinic, but our team has really rolled up their sleeves and work together to make it work.”

UTEP's vaccine program has done so well, the state of Chihuahua in Mexico is even modeling its program based off of it.

The university said it will not require students to get vaccinated for the upcoming fall semester, following state guidelines, however it’s still encouraging that all students take advantage of the university’s vaccine program. 

Since Texas opened up eligibility to everyone over the age of 16, the university said the move has actually streamlined the university’s ability to vaccinate more people. 

To date, 565 faculty, around 870 staff and 4,700 students have received a shot at UTEP. 

Out of UTEP’s more than 22,000 students, 30 percent are vaccinated. 70 percent of UTEP’s more than 3,000 faculty and staff are also vaccinated. Those numbers include people who’ve been vaccinated outside the university. 

UTEP has even opened up its clinic to household members of the UTEP community. Cortinas said she feels fortunate that the university is able to be in a position to do so. 

“There's one student in particular that comes to mind. She's going to be bringing her mom and her grandmother back for their second dose, and I've got to tell you that the first time I met them it just reinvigorated me and why we're doing what we're doing, because we're reaching those abuelitas (grandmas), those moms that otherwise wouldn’t,” Cortinas said. 

“We are the community that we serve, we are El Paso. The majority of the people that work and study here are El Pasoans. And so this is our small way of helping the community, get as many people vaccinated as possible,” she added.

To learn more about UTEP’s vaccine program and it’s clinic this Saturday, click here.