An increased supply of COVID-19 vaccines from Johnson County has allowed University of Iowa Student Health to begin providing a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech to UI students. 

The American College Health Association recommends that students get vaccinated as soon as possible, according to a campus email sent Monday.  

The UI will offer the COVID-19 vaccine to students regardless of where a student has received their first dose, according to a campus email sent Friday.

“Doses still must be three weeks apart, but this gives you more flexibility and may be more convenient,” the UI wrote in the email to campus. 

Last week, the UI hosted vaccination clinics on April 21 and 22. Nearly 2,000 students received the Pfizer vaccine through Student Health, as previously reported by The Daily Iowan. 

The UI previously held a vaccine clinic to deliver the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine until its usage was paused because of six cases of rare blood clotting out of millions of people who’d received the vaccine. After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration lifted the pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, prompting the Iowa Department of Public Health to authorize providers to resume vaccinations with the one-dose vaccine.

It’s not yet clear whether the UI will resume Johnson & Johnson vaccinations. A spokesperson for the UI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

If students need a second dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the UI wrote that students should call UI Student Health at 319-335-9704. 

UI students can schedule their COVID-19 vaccination appointment through the MyUI portal. 

The UI also reported nine new students and three COVID-19 cases from April 23 data. Seven residence hall students are in self-isolation, the UI wrote in the email to campus.