On the frontlines: UC Nursing students in St. Petersburg help administer COVID-19 vaccines

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On the frontlines: UC Nursing students in St. Petersburg help administer COVID-19 vaccines

Nursing Student at UC's St. Petersburg site helps administer COVID-19 vaccines.

This once in a lifetime opportunity allowed members of Utica's hybrid nursing program in St. Petersburg to be a part of history as they help fight back against the pandemic.

By the end of February, the COVID-19 death toll in the United States topped 500,000 - matching the number of Americans killed in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam combined. According to the Associated Press, the United States has the highest reported cases in the world, accounting for 20 percent of the nearly 2.5 million coronavirus deaths globally, though the true numbers are thought to be significantly greater, in part because many cases were overlooked, especially early in the outbreak.

The somber milestone came as states continue to roll out vaccines to various segments of the population in an effort to curb the increasing number of infections and deaths. At the frontline of administering some of those vaccines are students from Utica College's own nursing program in St. Petersburg, Florida.

In partnership with Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, students administered the COVID-19 vaccine in January 2021 to more than 60 high-risk individuals, including frontline health care workers and people aged 65 and up, as part of phase 1 of the Florida vaccine rollout plan.

This once in a lifetime opportunity allowed members of Utica's hybrid nursing program in St. Petersburg to be a part of history as they help fight back against the pandemic.