DES MOINES, Iowa — Multiple colleges and universities in central Iowa have been holding vaccination clinics for students, and to make that process quicker they were using Johnson & Johnson doses.
But after the CDC recommended a pause on that vaccine Wednesday, schools had to quickly change their plans.
"We decided, based on the recommendations of the CDC and everyone else that we would cancel that clinic," Wade Robinson, the director of student development at Des Moines Area Community College, said.
The clinic was supposed to serve 250 people, and was canceled only a few hours before it was scheduled to begin.
"Our plans for the clinic were Johnson & Johnson because it was just one shot and we didn't have to have a second date or have our providers schedule a second shot," Robinson added.
He noted the one-shot vaccines were beneficial because of the student body becoming fully vaccinated in a shorter amount of time.
However, that's not stopping the school from vaccinating its students, staff and community members.
Since canceling Tuesday's clinic, which was in partnership with Medicap Pharmacy, Medicap was able to reschedule people from that clinic for Moderna doses April 20.
The clinic will be located at the Evelyn K. Davis Center in Des Moines.
RELATED: ‘I would do it again’: Reynolds encourages Iowans to get vaccinated amid Johnson & Johnson pause
DMACC is not the only school moving forward with vaccination clinics and pivoting to other vaccines in light of the Johnson and Johnson pause.
Iowa State University is holding vaccination clinics starting April 15 through May, and an email from Mike Krapfl, a communication specialist with the university, said in part:
"Following the guidance to pause Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Iowa State will provide Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, depending on supplies available."
Drake University also plans to continue moving forward with their planned clinic, which will take place April 16.
The university said it was originally going to administer Johnson & Johnson vaccines, but in an email sent to students which the school sent to Local 5, it said:
"Those who signed up for the Johnson & Johnson Clinic at Drake for Friday, April 16 will be prioritized for a public Pfizer vaccine clinic at the Harkin Center scheduled for Friday."
And Robinson noted, if the CDC's recommendation were to change about the paused vaccine, the school would not mind having them in use again.
Watch: Gov. Kim Reynolds' full press conference for April 14, 2021
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