NYU Abu Dhabi hosted another vaccination drive to deliver the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to community and household members. The vaccination center was located in A6 and ran from Feb. 20 to 23, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day.

The second vaccination drive was programmed to fall between 21 to 28 days from when community members received their first dose. More than 1,400 community members participated in the vaccination drive, according to the Return to Campus Memo from Feb. 25.

NYUAD’s Administration is currently in “active discussions” about another vaccination drive to be scheduled in March and has promised to share more information in the future. The Gazelle attended the second drive to observe proceedings and sat down with Vice Chancellor Mariët Westermann to discuss the importance of these efforts.

“It was very clear that the lockdowns, although they are important, the masking, the social distancing, the keeping limits on gatherings, especially in close spaces that all of this was helping bring down spread and especially fatalities and very serious disease which was critical… But it became clear definitely by August-September, as we saw the numbers come back, that without vaccines, we really would be in this as a human collectivity for a very, very painful and long time to come with lots of loss of life and economic and social disaster.” shared Vice Chancellor Westermann.

The vaccination drives are a joint effort by the Abu Dhabi Department of Health and NYUAD, as previously reported by The Gazelle. The second drive followed the same guidelines as the first, asking community members to pick a time slot to manage density and to provide their Emirates ID and brief medical history.

Public Safety officers were on site to guide community members through the process and help them navigate campus and the vaccination center. Director of Operations Robert Titus was on the premises and observing the process.

Photo Courtesy of Mari Velasquez-Soler

After filling out pertinent medical forms, community members were guided to the line for the vaccine. Female members were asked for their marital status and pregnancy tests were kept on hand for married members who might be at risk. Refrigerators were on site to store the vaccines and male and female booths were clearly marked. Once the community member received their second dose, their vaccination card was updated and they were given a sticker.

Photo Courtesy of Mari Velasquez-Soler

Vice Chancellor Westermann shared her vaccination experience on her instagram, posting her first dose and her second while thanking the scientists and healthcare professionals.

“I felt that it was just my responsibility to do it and I felt very comfortable … it is a personal decision but a personal decision doesn't only mean that it's all about my body. To me it didn't feel completely elective because of the job that I have and I let me say I don't feel at all conflicted about that.” shared Westermann.

Photo Courtesy of Mari Velasquez-Soler

The Vice Chancellor explained that her decision to take the vaccine was an informed one, made after careful consideration, research and consultation with medical experts. Her decision to share her vaccination news was also meditated and consulted on with experts within NYUAD.

“It wasn't just a little personal choice for me. Not a little personal preference. It was really about modeling the behavior” she explained. “I feel highly responsible for helping this community, this beautiful campus, this beautiful University of ours, whether our people are here or abroad.”

Photo Courtesy of Mari Velasquez-Soler

No personal information or concrete numbers were collected during the vaccination drive to protect the privacy of community members that choose to take the vaccine, as explained by Dr. Ayaz Virji, Medical Director of the Health Center, in a past article. A rough number of community members that attended the drive is known but specific details are unknown by the administration and even the Abu Dhabi government. The Ministry of Education is monitoring the cases and progress of educational institutions and showed great interest in the number of vaccinations on campus.

“They're very interested in these numbers and I keep reminding them that we don't have people on yoyos and we can't just say, you know, what these numbers are but I am very proud.” said Westermann.