Johns Hopkins joins College Vaccine Challenge

Johns Hopkins University is joining colleges and universities across the country participating in the College Vaccine Challenge, a new initiative from the White House, U.S. Department of Education, and the American College Health Association.

The challenge invites institutions to support the COVID-19 vaccination effort by providing vaccine information and access to their college communities. The effort is part of a larger push from the Biden administration to have 70% of adults at least partially vaccinated by July 4.

In a June 2 address, Biden noted that nearly 170 million Americans have received at least one vaccine dose, with 52% of adults fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

"It's clearer than ever the more people we get vaccinated, the more success we're going to have in the fight against this virus," Biden said.

The Campus Pledge is anchored by three main commitments:

• Engage every student, faculty, and staff member: Make sure every member of the campus community knows they are eligible for a vaccine and has resources to find one.
• Organize your college community: Lead the way by identifying champions for vaccine efforts across campus and implementing a plan to get as many members of the college community vaccinated as possible.
• Deliver vaccine access for all: Meet your community where it is: bring vaccines on-site, and make it easy for students, staff, and faculty to get vaccinated at sites nearby them this summer.

"The Johns Hopkins community has always been one that takes civic responsibility and public health seriously, and COVID-19 vaccination is an example of an effort that combines both," said Kevin Shollenberger, vice provost for student health and well-being. "While we've made great progress toward vaccination already, there is still much we must do to contain the coronavirus pandemic, and I'm confident our campus community will rise to the occasion."

Through its efforts this past spring, the university has already made strides in each of the three campus pledge commitment categories. Initiatives like the "Get the Facts About the Vax" campaign and the university's town hall series have provided clarifying information about the vaccines' efficacy, reliability, and safety while providing opportunities for the public to ask Hopkins vaccine experts questions. Additionally, Johns Hopkins is currently offering free on-campus vaccination clinics for students, staff, faculty, and contractors.