UT Southern is encouraging students, faculty, staff, and the entire Southern Middle Tennessee community to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible to stop the spread of COVID-19, save lives, and get back to normal.

The RedHawks are teaming up with the Tennessee Department of Health, the Turner Center, and local leaders for the This Is Our Shot campaign. A newly launched website OurShotGiles.com explains the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine while dispelling myths and offering ways to receive the vaccine on campus and in your community.

Residents can expect to see messages from the campaign around town in the coming weeks and are being asked to share on social media once they have received the vaccine using the hashtags: #ThisIsOurShotUTS and #ThisIsOurShotGiles.

In Giles County alone, nearly 4,000 people have suffered from COVID-19 and many are still experiencing the long-term impacts of the virus today. Nearly 100 people lost their battle with the virus in Giles County.

Statewide, more than 800,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 and 12,000 people have died.

To date, UT Southern students and staff have reported 155 total cases. Much of the spread has been prevented by wearing masks, social distancing, and hand washing. These mitigation practices will continue until enough of our population gets vaccinated.

Getting immunized against COVID-19 will prevent most people from contracting the virus. Even in a rare case where a vaccinated person does get infected with COVID-19, the vaccine will likely prevent you from becoming seriously ill. Protecting yourself also protects the people around you, especially those at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 or those who can’t get vaccinated — like infants, children, or people with weakened immune systems from things like chemotherapy for cancer.

All Tennesseans, ages 16 and up, are eligible for the vaccine. Martin Methodist and the Giles County Health Department are currently offering the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. The CDC and FDA recently recommended a pause on the Johnson and Johnson vaccine because of a very rare but serious type of blood clot in six women out of the seven million doses administered. The CDC said it cannot yet say if the vaccine is related to or caused this health issue and are pausing out of an abundance of caution.

Everyone is encouraged to do their research and learn more about the vaccine and the decades of research involved in its development. Check out the Tennessee Department of Health’s FAQs for more information. Students with questions are also encouraged to speak directly with our certified nurse practitioner at the Clinic.

The sooner you sign up, the sooner we all can return to normal. Do your part: visit OurShotGiles.com to learn more! This is OUR shot!