Ohio State will host a series of town halls beginning Monday to address questions around COVID-19. Credit: Jack Westerheide | Lantern File Photo
To kick off a series of virtual town hall meetings Monday, Ohio State leaders will discuss one of the most recent developments in COVID-19 information: the vaccine.
The town halls will be held the first Monday of each month for the next three months for public health experts, campus leaders and others to share the latest information and answer questions on COVID-19, university spokesperson Ben Johnson said in an email.
“While supplies of the vaccine remain low, we know students, faculty and staff have questions about availability and distribution,” Ben Johnson said.
Ben Johnson said panelists at Monday’s event will include University President Kristina M. Johnson, Executive Vice President and Provost Bruce McPheron, Executive Vice President and Chancellor for health affairs Hal Paz and Wexner Medical Center Chief Clinical Officer Andy Thomas.
Kristina M. Johnson first announced the town hall meetings in a Jan. 22 universitywide email explaining Ohio’s current vaccination supply.
Caleb Hineman, Undergraduate Student Government vice president and fourth-year in national resource management, said USG has been in contact with the president’s office to learn about the town hall meetings and is spreading the word to students.
“I think it can be a good avenue for people to find out information and to ask questions, so naturally we’ll amplify all kinds of messages across campus like that. We think that’s an important one,” Hineman said.
The first town hall will be Monday at 5:30 p.m., Ben Johnson said. Students, faculty and staff will be able to find more information about the town hall meetings and how to join town halls soon on the Safe and Healthy Buckeyes website. He said students should register with their university email and are encouraged to submit questions in advance.
