{"id":136764,"date":"2021-03-05T15:18:28","date_gmt":"2021-03-06T01:18:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=136764"},"modified":"2021-03-05T15:18:28","modified_gmt":"2021-03-06T01:18:28","slug":"student-pharmacists-covid19-vaccinations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/03\/05\/student-pharmacists-covid19-vaccinations\/","title":{"rendered":"Student pharmacists assist with COVID-19 vaccinations on 2 islands"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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From left, UH<\/abbr> Hilo students Jeff Regalario and Dillon Solliday prepare and reconstitute Pfizer vaccine at large-scale vaccination event inside Edith Kanakaʻole<\/span> Stadium in Hilo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once COVID-19 vaccines became available in late 2020, University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Hilo<\/a> pharmacy college faculty and staff worked with the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Department of Health and UH<\/abbr> officials to coordinate student and faculty volunteers at various vaccination points of dispensing (POD<\/abbr>) on Oʻahu<\/span>, Maui and Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island.<\/p>\n

Fourty-eight Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy<\/a> (DKICP<\/abbr>) students are assisting at vaccination sites in Hilo, including pharmacies at KTA<\/abbr> Superstores.<\/p>\n

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Leila Chee at the Edith Kanakaʻole<\/span> Stadium vaccination event where 2,000 people were vaccinated.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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From left, pharmacy students Kauʻi<\/span> Lonzaga and Eric Dau prepare syringes.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n

Student pharmacists also helped out at several large-scale vaccination POD<\/abbr>s, where 2,000 doses were administered per event. On Oʻahu<\/span>, the UH<\/abbr> Hilo students also assist at vaccination events held at Leeward Community College<\/a> and UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Students and faculty members provide valuable on-site services including, vaccine syringe preparation, performing vaccinations, patient registration, managing vaccine counts and thawing, and post-vaccination monitoring.<\/p>\n

“Our communities owe all planners and workers a great debt of gratitude for their tireless efforts to get us back with our families and friends, to move us to a safe and better new normal, and to stoke our economy,” Carolyn Ma<\/strong>, dean of the pharmacy college, wrote in the current issue of the college\u2019s newsletter<\/a> (PDF<\/abbr><\/small>). “I commend our wonderful faculty and staff for the examples they have set for our students, but I also want to recognize our students for their selfless contributions to helping preserve the health of all residents in our state.”<\/p>\n