By Kaitin Bavaro
Staff Writer
On Sept. 29, the College hosted its first of three flu vaccine clinics for students and faculty from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. in room 212 of the Education Building. The second clinic is Oct. 20 with the same location and time and the last clinic is Nov. 17 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. in room 100 East in the Brower Student Center. 168 people were vaccinated during the Sept. 29 clinic, 123 of which were students, according to Janice Vermeychuk, director of Student Health Services.
Following last year’s requirement, flu vaccines are required for residential students, who must upload their proof of vaccination to the Online Wellness Link (OWL) by Dec. 1, according to the College’s Pre-Entrance Health Requirements for Undergraduate Students. Unvaccinated residential students will not be allowed to return to on-campus housing in January.
To be vaccinated on campus, students and staff must register in advance for the shot, which is being delivered through Bergen New Bridge Medical Center. Last year, the cost was free for students enrolled in the TCNJ Student Health Insurance Plan and $10 for all other students. This year, the cost of the vaccine can be delivered to one’s health insurance, according to the email from Vermeychuk. Vermeychuk also said that masks and a Green Daily Health Pass from your ROAR app are required, and students should wear clothing that allows for easy access to the shoulder.
“In the close living and learning environment of a college campus, it is hard to stay away from sick people. And flu starts to be contagious two days before symptoms begin, so you do not even know you have it and you are spreading it around,” Vermeychuk said.
She also urges students to continue the practices they were doing at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, such as hand-washing, mask-wearing and staying home when sick. These practices enabled a mild flu season last year, so continuing them can allow students to remain on-campus for in-person classes and extracurricular activities.
“The reason why people get vaccinated is because it is the best way to reduce their chances of getting the flu … We want TCNJ to stay in-person and on campus, and to do that we have to all pitch in and do our part to stay healthy,” said Vermeychuk.
With thousands of new Covid-19 cases a day in New Jersey, many people still see the value in getting vaccinated for things like the flu, even though it isn’t the Covid-19 vaccine.
“I think it’s always important [to get vaccinated] but it’s especially important now that we know how fast diseases can spread,” junior Meghan Hatley said.
For the last three years, the College has won the NJ College and University Flu Challenge, which is a survey where students report that they have received the flu vaccine. Students should complete the survey here.
“It is a super short anonymous survey so we hope that every student who was vaccinated this fall completes it. It doesn't matter where students received their flu vaccination. Students who do not want to get vaccinated should also complete the survey because they can provide useful information in the survey,” said Vermeychuk.
