While dates that the university will be able to begin vaccinating its students, faculty and staff remain uncertain, the University of Mississippi Vaccine Distribution and Administration Task Force announced on Friday that it is prepared to launch a campuswide vaccination program “as soon as shipments are available.”

According to an email from the University of Mississippi Communications, the task force is working with the Mississippi State Department of Health to obtain doses of a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible. 

“I am extremely confident in our vaccine administration team,” Provost Noel Wilkin said. “They have been administering vaccines on our campus for about a decade and conduct Operation Immunization each year for influenza vaccines.” 

Wilkin also said he is confident that the university will be able to begin administering first doses of the vaccine to people on campus within hours of it arriving. The university also does not know how many doses of the vaccine it will receive in the first shipment. 

As of now, the university plans to give out vaccines at the Tad Smith Coliseum from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays, with extended hours of 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays once doses are available to the university. 

People who are currently allowed to receive the vaccine include health care workers, people who are 65 and older and people aged 18-64 who have underlying medical conditions. However, no first dose vaccination appointments are available to be scheduled at this time, according to the MSDH COVID-19 vaccine website.