On the Fence About the COVID-19 Vaccine? Hear Why Others Are Vaccinated

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 23, 2021) – We are inching ever closer to a return to normal with each scheduled COVID-19 vaccine appointment at the University of Kentucky Kroger Field clinic.

As each person walks through the line of tents at Kroger Field, checks in and winds their way up to their vaccination station, you can’t help but wonder, what’s their reason? Why are they choosing to be vaccinated?

“You do it to protect yourself, protect your family, protect this state, protect the country, protect this whole world,” said Pamela Black-Davis of Lexington. “It’s just one step closer to us being able to get back to some normalcy.”

Casey Parker-Bell of Lexington, could not get through the line fast enough.

“Walking in here today, all I could feel is joy. People are lined up and they are excited to get it,” he said. “We want to get back to living the lives we remember and living the lives that we love.”

Others, like Dale Roland of Frankfort, feel relief.

“I chose to get vaccinated because I did not want COVID,” Roland said. “I think it is good protection for myself, as well as others.”

More than one million Kentuckians have received at least one dose of the vaccine and supplies of the COVID-19 vaccine are larger than ever before. Thousands of appointments are open at the ��ɫ�� Kroger Field clinic, where the two-shot Pfizer vaccine is available.

Governor Andy Beshear has said 2.5 million people 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 return to more normal operations.

Your COVID-19 Vaccine Questions Answered

Once vaccinated, ��ɫ�� and ��ɫ�� HealthCare experts are their thoughts and recommendations based on current data trends, about living life amid a pandemic.

A panel of health care experts from ��ɫ�� HealthCare and the Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine are answering about the available vaccines, as well as the rise of new variants.

When it comes to the efficacy of vaccines, it is important to separate fact from fiction. Vince Venditto, an assistant professor in ��ɫ��’s College of Pharmacy, has extensive expertise in vaccine design and is trained in organic synthesis. Additionally, he has been working on a clinical trial with community pharmacies to understand the prevalence of COVID-19 in Kentucky.

In a previous ��ɫ��Now , 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 said. “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.”

How to Register for an Appointment at the Kroger Field Vaccine Clinic

All Kentuckians, 16 years of age and older, and people from out of state who go to school or work in Kentucky, are encouraged to request an appointment for vaccination at the Kroger Field clinic. The process is easy. Go to to register. You will quickly receive an email invitation to schedule an appointment. If you have any questions, email vaccine@uky.edu and a team member will respond within 24-48 hours. View for a tour of the Kroger Field clinic and how it works.

For more information on ��ɫ��’s overall COVID-19 response, visit , and for information specific to vaccinations, visit .