SF State becomes COVID-19 vaccination site

Starting Wednesday, Feb. 3, SF State will be providing a space for COVID-19 vaccinations, according to an update posted Friday afternoon by Student Health Services.

The vaccination program is being directed by the San Francisco Department of Public Health — in conjunction with Safeway — which will be providing the medical personnel and vaccines. SF State will be hosting the vaccination effort in the Mashouf Wellness Center every Wednesday and Thursday.

According to Student Affairs & Enrollment Management Associate Vice President Gene Chelberg, who has been actively engaged in helping to plan and shape the university’s response to COVID-19, the campus will see up to 300 vaccinations per day. 

“I think lots of us are excited that there is a vaccine or our vaccines are available now,” Chelberg said. “And anything that we can do to help and support distribution of the vaccine is a win-win for everybody.”

In an email sent out by Student Health Services Director Roger Elrod, the department reiterated that “while SF State is hosting the vaccination site, it is not responsible for determining eligibility.” SFDPH is currently offering the vaccine to city residents or workers 65 and older, as well as those with a high exposure risk.

SF State will be providing its facilities for vaccination free of charge, according to Chelberg, although not without getting something in return. “In exchange, we are given the opportunity to invite anyone affiliated with San Francisco State who meets the eligibility requirement to register,” he said.

At about 3,500 cases per 100,000 residents, San Francisco fares better than the California average of over 8,000. But with over 30,000 reported cases, and 317 deaths, San Francisco still has a long way to go towards mass-inoculation. Only one week after the city announced its first mass vaccination site, SF State has announced its intent to be a part of that effort.