Thousands of Vaccination Appointments Available at UK's Kroger Field; Sign up is Easy
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 20, 2021) — Vaccines represent the best opportunity for life to return to normal. And supplies of COVID-19 vaccines are larger than ever before.
That’s why it is critical for people to sign up to receive a vaccine. Vaccination appointments are plentiful at the University of Kentucky’s Kroger Field clinic location, where the two-shot Pfizer vaccine is available.
Here’s what you need to know about vaccines and access to them:
- Kentuckians, regardless of the phase they fall into, are encouraged to request an appointment.
- All Kentucky residents and people from out of state who go to school or work in Kentucky are eligible to be vaccinated at UK’s Kroger Field clinic.
- The process is easy. Go to vaccine.ukhc.org to register. You will quickly receive an invitation to schedule an appointment. The clinic schedule has thousands of appointments available beginning next week.
- High vaccination rates are seen as a key to achieving herd immunity, particularly as health officials have warned that progress against the pandemic is slowing.
“UK has administered more than 200,000 doses of vaccine since we started serving the public in January,” said UK Police Chief Joe Monroe who oversees the university’s Emergency Operations Center that guides the vaccination effort. “And we are still here to do what it takes to get people vaccinated, because we know that is paramount to keeping Kentuckians safe and healthy.”
UK HealthCare and College of Pharmacy personnel, along with volunteers from throughout the university, have operated an efficient, effective and seamless process of scheduling and administering first and second doses of the vaccine to the public.
Register Now to Receive Your Shot of Hope
Kentuckians, 16 years of age and older, shouldn’t hesitate in signing up.
All residents of Kentucky, as well as those who may reside in a different state but study or work in Kentucky, should follow the steps below to request a vaccine:
- Register at vaccine.ukhc.org. Upon completion, individuals will receive a receipt of confirmation.
- Check email regularly. When it’s time to schedule an appointment per state guidance, individuals will receive a unique access code at the same email used in the request form. This access code never expires and cannot be shared with anyone else.
- Schedule your appointment using this access code. If the dates available do not work with your schedule, keep checking back as more appointments are added based on vaccine supply from the state.
- Email vaccine@uky.edu for any questions. A team member will respond within 24-48 hours.
- View this video for a tour of the Kroger Field clinic and how it works.
More than 1.6 million people in Kentucky have received at least one dose of vaccine, however Gov. Andy Beshear has said 2.5 million need at least partial vaccine protection before he will loosen restrictions on businesses and venues serving fewer than 1,000 people. Therefore, more residents will need to be vaccinated before we move into more normal operations.
Vaccines are Effective and Safe
When it comes to the efficacy of the vaccines, it’s important to separate fact from fiction.
Vince Venditto, an assistant professor in UK’s College of Pharmacy, has extensive expertise in vaccine design and is trained in organic synthesis. Additionally, he is working on a clinical trial with community pharmacies to understand the prevalence of COVID-19 in Kentucky.
In a previous UKNow article, Venditto busted myths about the vaccines to help inform your decision to get vaccinated.
“It’s unlikely that COVID-19 will go away on its own. Just like the common cold, which is also a coronavirus, it continues to make kids sick every year,” he explained. “But as we age and continue to be exposed, we generate an immune response that prevents us from getting sick. The vaccine helps to accelerate this process to protect us.”
More Answers to Your Commonly Asked Vaccine Questions
As the COVID-19 vaccines are more widely available, more questions may arise.
For more information on UK’s overall COVID-19 response, visit www.uky.edu/coronavirus/, and information specific to vaccinations is available at www.uky.edu/coronavirus/vaccines.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.