La Salle University is partnering with Walmart to bring a COVID-19 vaccine clinic to campus.

Right away, the University will begin scheduling students, faculty, staff, and Christian Brothers for appointments on Friday, May 7. Treetops Café, the location of La Salle’s COVID-19 testing center, will be converted to a vaccine administration clinic. Walmart staff will administer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at the site.

The vaccine is being offered at no out-of-pocket expense to members of the La Salle community or the University, Cook said in a campus-wide announcement. Anyone who lives, learns, or works at La Salle is eligible—regardless of where they reside or whether they have health insurance.

“We have a shared responsibility and commitment to ensure the collective health and wellness of our University community, Northwest Philadelphia neighbors, and those closest to us,” said R. Scott Cook, D.O., FAOASM, La Salle’s assistant vice president of student wellness and the director of the University’s Student Health Center. “Receiving the COVID-19 vaccine is the single-most-important step we can take to protect ourselves and others from this virus and is an active measure toward returning us to the safest on-campus experience for Fall 2021.”

Very soon, the University will share details on how to schedule an appointment for a second dose, Cook said in his campus message. At a minimum, three weeks are required between receiving the first and second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Options exist for those who will be unable to return to campus for their second dose, and instructions for scheduling a second appointment will be available to the University community at Treetops Café.

The campus vaccine clinic will accept its first appointments as La Salle enters the final days of the academic term. While side effects of the vaccine are generally mild, Cook reminded students and employees planning to receive the vaccine to maintain contact with their instructors and supervisors, respectively, and “discuss alternative arrangements for the completion of academic and professional responsibilities, as needed and as appropriate.”

“La Salle University encourages everyone to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, as we are planning for a predominantly on-campus experience in Fall 2021,” Cook said, in closing his campus-wide message. “Stay safe and help us #VaxUpLaSalle, so we can make our campus as safe as possible.”

—Christopher A. Vito