BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The race to vaccinate college students is ramping up...as Governor Cuomo announces 35,000 vaccines going specifically to SUNY schools and private colleges.
Canisius College is already inoculating students over the course of three days with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after receiving 400 doses.
This made it convenient for students to get before the semester ends, like Sierra Boucher, who said she lives right across the street from campus.
"I was really excited about this opportunity to go on campus because I was trying to find a vaccine at other places, but I was having kind of a difficulty doing s," said Boucher.
"I'm Canadian, I'm from just outside of Toronto, and the vaccines aren't very accessible at home right now, not being rolled out as fast," said Jackson Webster. :So it's a great opportunity to be able to get it while I'm down here at school."
SUNY is getting 21,000 doses of the one-and-done vaccine.
"We have tremendous demand from our students. They want to get vaccinated, they want to come back in the fall in a more in-person regular, normal environment," said SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras.
Last week, the state announced it will receive 34,900 J&J shots - a drop of 88 percent week-over-week and the first decrease in weeks.
The governor's office sited production issues.
"It looks like it will slow down at least for this week a little bit. But we're optimistic that the J&J doses will come back, but if they don't - to the level that we think we need, we'll work with the Pfizer or Moderna folks as well to schedule our students with the two doses," said Malatras.
More than 350,000 students are receiving email messages to remind them of their eligibility.
