Conflicting deadlines for influenza vaccine lead to confusion among students
The University of California announced Oct. 8 that all individuals would be required to receive a dose of a flu vaccine by Friday. Students can receive the vaccine at the Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center (pictured), although many students were confused about the deadline to verify vaccination status. (Noah Danesh/Daily Bruin)
Despite the university issuing different deadline dates and relying on an honor system to verify vaccination status, all UCLA students, faculty and staff must receive a dose of the flu vaccine before Friday.
The University of California issued an executive order Oct. 8 mandating campuswide vaccination for influenza. Individuals who opt out must submit a vaccine declination statement and continue to wear a mask through flu season, even if COVID-19 restrictions loosen, according to the Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center.
UCLA spokesperson Katherine Alvarado added that the university’s policy of placing holds on students’ accounts who have not verified vaccination status is no longer in effect, and UCLA has removed any mention of holds related to the influenza vaccine.
However, UCLA has issued differing deadlines to verify influenza vaccination status. The UCLA Immunization Requirement website notes the deadline for verification is Friday, citing the executive order. In contrast, until Tuesday the Ashe Center’s website stated the deadline for students to verify their flu vaccination was Nov. 1. Additionally, during a town hall for students hosted Sept. 23, Dr. Chaitali Mukherjee, the executive director of the Ashe Center, said the deadline for students to receive the flu vaccine would be Oct. 31.
Alvarado said the deadline for students to submit flu vaccination verification to meet the requirements of the 2021-2022 executive order has always been Friday. However, she added that the UCLA website mistakenly had the wrong date, which has been corrected.
Sabina Nguyen, a first-year public affairs student, said she was confused about the deadline and initially thought it was Nov. 1. Shannon Liu and Lily Do, both second-year physiological science students, also said they thought the deadline to confirm flu vaccination status was always Nov. 1.
All students are required to verify their flu vaccination status through the UCLA Symptom Monitoring Survey by specifying the date and location they received the flu vaccine. As of publication, around two-thirds of the student body has verified their vaccination status, Alvarado said.
Verification of vaccination is on an honor system, said Rosalinda Moreno, a fourth-year human biology and society student and representative of UCLA’s Student Health Advisory Committee. SHAC aims to bridge the gap between the Ashe Center and the student body by raising students’ health concerns to the Ashe Center and the university, Moreno said.
Chris Tai, a third-year microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student, said he received the vaccine before UCLA announced it would be required. He added that he verified his vaccination by typing the date he received his shot on the UCLA Symptom Monitoring Survey.
Liu said the process to verify she received the flu vaccine did not require her to submit documentation.
“It was literally a click of a button, and there was no actual proof that we had to submit,” said Liu.
Dr. John Clemens, a professor and vice chairman in the epidemiology department, said there is no ready way to tell whether a person is vaccinated or not, despite vaccination being a necessary step.
The risks of co-infection, high contraction rates and an overburdened health care system make the Friday deadline all the more important, especially if UCLA intends to continue in-person instruction, Alvarado said.
The influenza vaccine is effective at preventing hospitalizations, intensive care unit admittances and outpatient visits, according to the mandate. It also notes that any action that could decrease the strain on nearby health care systems should be adopted, given the amount of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in Los Angeles County.
Despite uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 transmission this winter, there is a high chance rates may not trend downward, Clemens said. Any way the burden on the health care system can be decreased is a good thing, he added.
“The flu vaccine is an effective intervention to reduce the burden of severe flu illness, so (mandating the flu vaccine) certainly makes sense when you have the coexisting challenge of (COVID-19),” Clemens said.
Most students are complying with the requirement, Moreno said. She added that SHAC has not received any major concerns or complaints from students.
However, Do said she thinks UCLA should do more to vet students’ claims that they received the vaccination, especially because of COVID-19 and the flu season’s compounding effects.
“I feel like it would be more safe if they had us take a picture of it and submit it,” Do said. “When it comes to health, we should have it double checked and not just rely on the honor system. Nowadays, we need to be more cautious.”
