Dear Students,
Keep it up! Our quarantine/isolation numbers remain low, thanks in large part to students, faculty and staff sharing in the responsibility to keep our OC family safe and healthy. Thank you for wearing masks in public spaces, getting vaccinated, washing your hands frequently and social distancing when possible. You are making a difference!
Keep it up! Our quarantine/isolation numbers remain low, thanks in large part to students, faculty and staff sharing in the responsibility to keep our OC family safe and healthy. Thank you for wearing masks in public spaces, getting vaccinated, washing your hands frequently and social distancing when possible. You are making a difference!
This week’s OC CARES communication contains the following information:
- Free COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic, Sept. 13
- Free Off-Campus Vaccination Resources
- Pfizer Vaccination Fully Approved by FDA — What That Means
- Video — Vaccines Work
FREE Campus COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic, Sept. 13
If you haven’t already done so, we encourage you to consider being vaccinated against COVID-19 by attending the Monday, Sept. 13 FREE on-campus clinic from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Upton Gym. No appointment is necessary!
Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson Shots Will Be Offered
- The Pfizer vaccination is administered in two parts and requires that you return at a later date for a follow-up shot.
- The Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccination requires just one shot.
- Click here to learn more about the vaccinations being offered.
Reminder: If You Received Your First Dose of the Pfizer Vaccine on Aug. 23
If you received the Pfizer vaccine at the Aug. 23 clinic, return to the clinic on Monday for your required second dose of the vaccine. To be fully vaccinated, you must receive both shots of the Pfizer vaccine.
The vaccinations will be administered by a trained Barry-Eaton District Health Department (BEDHD) staff member.
What to Expect
The vaccinations will be administered by a trained Barry-Eaton District Health Department (BEDHD) staff member.
What to Expect
- After getting a COVID-19 vaccine, you will be monitored on-site for at least 15 minutes.
- It takes time for your body to build protection after any vaccination. Therefore, you are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after your second dose of the Pfizer vaccine or two weeks after you receive the J&J one-shot vaccine.
- Pain, redness and swelling in the arm where you get the shot are common.
- Other common side effects include one or more of the following: tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever or nausea.
- Side effects are normal signs that your body is building protection and should go away within a few days.
- Click here for CDC information, including myths and facts, benefits of the vaccine, effectiveness, possible side effects and more.
Reminder: Unvaccinated Students Identified as a Close Contact Required to Quarantine/Isolate
We respect your decision whether or not to be vaccinated against COVID-19, however, please understand that the health and safety of our entire campus community is our shared responsibility. Therefore, as outlined in the OC CARES Pandemic Response Plan (and in alignment with CDC guidance), unvaccinated students who are identified as a close contact to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 will be required to quarantine/isolate and not participate in campus activities, including athletics, for 10 days.
In addition, you will be responsible for making arrangements to return home or to stay at a place off campus to complete your required quarantine or isolation period and for any related expenses associated with the quarantine or isolation. You will be responsible for contacting your instructors and for making arrangements to complete your work for all of your courses. As is standard practice in cases of documented illness, your absences from class will be considered excused.
FREE Off-Campus Vaccination Resources
We understand that you may want to get the vaccination but would rather do it in a more private setting than the campus clinic. Fortunately, most pharmacies and a number of community organizations offer the FREE vaccination throughout the state of Michigan.
In addition, you will be responsible for making arrangements to return home or to stay at a place off campus to complete your required quarantine or isolation period and for any related expenses associated with the quarantine or isolation. You will be responsible for contacting your instructors and for making arrangements to complete your work for all of your courses. As is standard practice in cases of documented illness, your absences from class will be considered excused.
FREE Off-Campus Vaccination Resources
We understand that you may want to get the vaccination but would rather do it in a more private setting than the campus clinic. Fortunately, most pharmacies and a number of community organizations offer the FREE vaccination throughout the state of Michigan.
Text 438829
Additional vaccination sites and information. You’ll even be asked if you need to schedule a free ride! The easiest and quickest way to locate vaccination sites near you is to text
your zip code to 438829. A service of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, within seconds you’ll receive a list of sites, the type of COVID-19 vaccination offered, if walk-ins are welcome and links to additional vaccination sites and information. You’ll even be asked if you need to schedule a free ride!
Olivet Pharmacy
your zip code to 438829. A service of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, within seconds you’ll receive a list of sites, the type of COVID-19 vaccination offered, if walk-ins are welcome and links to additional vaccination sites and information. You’ll even be asked if you need to schedule a free ride!Olivet Pharmacy
Another convenient off-campus option is the Olivet Pharmacy, 116 N. Main St. Within walking distance of campus, the Olivet Pharmacy provides vaccinations by walk-in or appointment. Call 269-280-5005 or email olivetpharmacy1@gmail.com for details.
The COVID-19 vaccination is FREE, regardless of where you choose to be vaccinated.
Pfizer Vaccination Fully Approved by FDA — What That Means
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine is the first COVID-19 vaccination to be fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, full FDA approval is granted when enough data demonstrate that the vaccines are safe and effective for most people who receive them. Based on an abundance of scientific evidence, the FDA supports the use of the Pfizer vaccine to prevent COVID-19 and has found it to be beneficial, safe and manufactured reliably.
For more than 100 years, the FDA has approved vaccines that prevent serious diseases such as polio, smallpox, measles, influenza and whooping cough.
Read more about how the Pfizer vaccine was approved.
Vaccines Work!
Wonder if vaccines work? Take a minute to check out the quick video below from Stanford Medicine (Stanford University) for the answer.