Thousands of vaccinations available at Kroger Field easy sign up

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) — Vaccination appointments are plentiful at the University of Kentucky’s Kroger Field clinic location, where the two-shot Pfizer vaccine is available.

Here’s what people need to know about vaccines and access to them:

• Kentuckians, regardless of the phase they fall into, are encouraged to request an appointment.
• All Kentucky residents and people from out of state who go to school or work in Kentucky are eligible to be vaccinated at UK’s Kroger Field clinic.
• The process is easy. Go to vaccine.ukhc.org to register. You will quickly receive an invitation to schedule an appointment. The clinic schedule has thousands of appointments available beginning next week.
• High vaccination rates are seen as a key to achieving herd immunity, particularly as health officials have warned that progress against the pandemic is slowing.

“UK has administered more than 200,000 doses of vaccine since we started serving the public in January,” said UK Police Chief Joe Monroe who oversees the university’s Emergency Operations Center that guides the vaccination effort. “And we are still here to do what it takes to get people vaccinated, because we know that is paramount to keeping Kentuckians safe and healthy.”

UK HealthCare and College of Pharmacy personnel, along with volunteers from throughout the university, have operated an efficient, effective and seamless process of scheduling and administering first and second doses of the vaccine to the public.

Kentuckians, 16 years of age and older, shouldn’t hesitate in signing up.

All residents of Kentucky, as well as those who may reside in a different state but study or work in Kentucky, should follow the steps below to request a vaccine:

• Register at vaccine.ukhc.org. Upon completion, individuals will receive a receipt of confirmation.
• Check email regularly. When it’s time to schedule an appointment per state guidance, individuals will receive a unique access code at the same email used in the request form. This access code never expires and cannot be shared with anyone else.
• Schedule your appointment using this access code. If the dates available do not work with your schedule, keep checking back as more appointments are added based on vaccine supply from the state.
• Email vaccine@uky.edu for any questions. A team member will respond within 24-48 hours.
• View this video for a tour of the Kroger Field clinic and how it works.

More than 1.6 million people in Kentucky have received at least one dose of vaccine, however Gov. Andy Beshear has said 2.5 million need at least partial vaccine protection before he will loosen restrictions on businesses and venues serving fewer than 1,000 people. Therefore, more residents will need to be vaccinated before we move into more normal operations.

When it comes to the efficacy of the vaccines, it’s important to separate fact from fiction.

Vince Venditto, an assistant professor in UK’s College of Pharmacy, has extensive expertise in vaccine design and is trained in organic synthesis. Additionally, he is working on a clinical trial with community pharmacies to understand the prevalence of COVID-19 in Kentucky.

In a previous UKNow article, Venditto busted myths about the vaccines to help inform your decision to get vaccinated.

“It’s unlikely that COVID-19 will go away on its own. Just like the common cold, which is also a coronavirus, it continues to make kids sick every year,” he explained. “But as we age and continue to be exposed, we generate an immune response that prevents us from getting sick. The vaccine helps to accelerate this process to protect us.”

As the COVID-19 vaccines are more widely available, more questions may arise.

For more information on UK’s overall COVID-19 response, visit www.uky.edu/coronavirus/, and information specific to vaccinations is available at www.uky.edu/coronavirus/vaccines.