The Aggie Health and Wellness Center is preparing a vaccination event aimed at New Mexico State University students, faculty and staff who wish to receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, April 23. 

According to Executive Director of Health and Wellness Lori McKee, there are 400 doses available. McKee encouraged the Aggie community to register for the event through vaccinenm.org using an NMSU email and ID and the special event code “ZOGYBOA.” 

Previously, the AHWC had been administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. For the upcoming event, they will now be giving out Moderna vaccines for this event. McKee assured that more Moderna vaccines will come in for the second doses.  

The AHWC had to cancel their previous vaccination event, which was scheduled to happen on Friday, April 16 after both the Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration recommended a pause for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on April 13.  

McKee said that vaccines will keep coming. She also said that people should only expect Moderna or Johnson & Johnson because they come in packs of 100 doses, unlike the Pfizer vaccines which come in a pack of 1,000 doses. As a result of coming in a larger pack, the Pfizer shipments have a higher chance of going bad over time.  

“We’re going to continue to have access to vaccines, although we don’t know what vaccine we may get,” McKee said.  

In the absence of a routine NMSU vaccination event last week, Walgreens Pharmacy and the New Mexico Department of Health partnered up to offer a Pfizer vaccine clinic on NMSU’s Pan American Center this past Saturday, April 17.  

The vaccination clinic was open for people 16 years and older. Even though it was held on the NMSU campus, the university had nothing to do with it. Registration was managed by the NMDOH website.  

Jon Webster, COVID-19 project manager for NMSU, mentioned that the university only provided a location to hold the event, but future events related with the AHWC will be located in the parking lot across the street from the Health Center.   

“It’s on the drive thru pod on Lot 100, like we’ve been having all semester,” Webster said.  

People who register and attend this Friday’s event will be scheduled to receive a second dose of the vaccine on Friday, May 21. However, any student who has a problem with the second date can reschedule through the NMDOH website. 

McKee recommended everyone who has doubts about a COVID-19 vaccine to visit the CDC website to learn more about the vaccine before and after receiving one.

“If you go to this website, you can see what to expect,” McKee said about the CDC site. “It will tell you what to expect and what you can do when you’re fully vaccinated.”  

Additionally, the 400 people who register with an NMSU email or valid Aggie ID for this week’s event will get a free “Sleeve Up Aggies” T-shirt.  

For more information on the vaccination event, call the Aggie Health and Wellness Center at 575-646-1512.