Smooth Sailing: My UIUC Vaccine Experience

In general, I personally have been pretty impressed with the way Illinois has been handling the pandemic.

Now that we are looking towards vaccines becoming more widespread, I was very intrigued to see how the university was going to handle the matter. 

I fall into phase 1B+, which means that I was able to begin the vaccination process on March 1st. The second I got the Massmail that alerted me of available appointments, I got online to register. The accessibility to information when registering was particularly comforting to me as a generally nervous person. By the time I was done registering and had received my confirmation email, every question that had come up was answered and I was feeling comfortable for the endeavor. 

In this specific round, appointments were available in two locations. I just happened to choose the C-U Public Health District who was incredibly thorough with the information I mentioned earlier. Everything was presented so clearly—they had even attached a picture of the door they wanted you to enter through! Since this would be my first time ever visiting the health district, it was relieving to have a visual reference rather than an address that wouldn’t clarify much for me. 

All in the span of 5 minutes I had arrived, checked in, received my vaccine, and was sent out to wait my 15 minutes. There were never any moments of unnecessary wait time and the entire process from start to finish was straightforward. There was ample time to get any questions answered, and I was presented with information about the vaccine I received and how to obtain my second appointment. 

This will obviously vary person to person, but I experienced no issues in my 15-minute waiting period and was free to leave! Total, entire appointment took 20 minutes, and I was able to continue on with my day with little to no pain! Day 2 was a little more challenging for me as I experienced a little more pain in my arm than on Day 1, but I was lucky enough to have no intolerable symptoms.

Overall, my experience with getting vaccinated as a student on campus was incredibly smooth. I think the university has done a great job connecting students that may not be familiar with resources in the C-U area. On March 5th, another Massmail was sent out stating that individuals in the same group would be able to sign up for appointments at CRCE, which makes getting the vaccine even more accessible to students.

I hope for anyone feeling nervous or uncertain about getting the vaccine feels some relief after reading this and takes the steps to getting an appointment when their time comes!

Brooke

Brooke

Class of 2024
I’m a social work major with a passion for people and the betterment of society. Listening to my friends share their experiences sparked my love for the University of Illinois, so I can’t wait to share my own with prospective and incoming students!

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