ODESSA, Texas — Students at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center studying nursing, health professions, physical therapy and medicine in the Permian Basin are being vaccinated regardless of their school year designation.
Once Texas Tech finishes vaccinating its students, which will happen primarily Monday and Tuesday, they say they are hoping to move on to the next phase of those 65 and older and those 16 or older with a chronic medical condition later this week.
"Today is just another step in the direction of breaking this pandemic," said Dr. Timothy Benton, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center chairman of family and community medicine department.
Last Monday Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center vaccinated its staff.
Now equipped with 140 doses of the Moderna vaccine left, they are vaccinating healthcare students.
"Being interrupted earlier this year in our education, it's been pretty key to get ourselves back into the classroom or the hospital setting," Nnana Amakiri, a fourth-year medical student at Texas Tech said.
These healthcare students are being vaccinated because they work in clinicals and hospital settings with patients who are sick or specifically sick with COVID-19.
They expect to use up 50-100 doses during this process.
"We may not get through all the students with this current supply, but I anticipate that the state will be sending more soon," Benton said.
Students and staff received an email about vaccine availability last week with a form attached to sign up.
It's on a first-come, first-serve basis and healthcare students need to bring the form and ID with them so Texas Tech can notify the state.
Vaccinations are being administered in the academic classroom building with social distancing.
"The more people that can develop immunity, then the less this virus will spread through our community and then not have a host so it moves on out," Benton said.
As for other healthcare students in the Permian Basin, Midland College suggests seeing your primary healthcare provider for the vaccine.
UTPB and Odessa College nursing students and nursing faculty were offered the vaccine starting last Tuesday at Medical Center Hospital.